Double Edged
by nimblnymph
Summary: Seduction is like a double edged sword. You never know when you'll go from being the seducer to being the seduced. KakaSaku
1. Stuck In The Middle

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ahhh... hallo? This is the first time I've ventured into the Naruto fandom at all. I'm nimblnymph. Be gentle. -grins- Anyway, I'm supposed to be finishing some gift fics for a few other friends of mine... but unfortunately, the lovely redbrunja has inserted a big, fat earworm in my head. That big, fat earworm is called Kakashi/Sakura. And it won't stop eating my brain. Soooo... I apologize to those I've promised fics to but would like to reassure them that as soon as I have the second or third chapters written they will be posted as well.

Just a few quick things about this fic: While it's KakaSaku centric, there WILL be other pairings involved as well. Because this is all pretty much leading to them getting in the sack, this is a MATURE fic. Also to clarify right from the start, Sakura is **SIXTEEN** in this fic. It takes place a little before the Shippuuden arc starts, which according to canon and my sometimes shoddy math skills puts her at sixteen. Sixteen is also the **legal age of consent for about 80% ****of the world**.

So, if you can live with this and aren't put off by my ramblings, please carry on and I hope you enjoy! If you are put off ... thanks for stopping by anyway!

* * *

Sakura groaned as her eyes opened a crack. The first thing she could see clearly through the sleep haze was the alarm clock by her bedside. The bright electric green numbers read five-thirteen in the morning. Her shift at the clinic had ended at two. Damn it... she should be asleep. Why wasn't she asleep? _Hadn't_ she just been asleep? Yes, she had to have been. Otherwise, why the hell would she be opening her eyes?

Letting out an irritated huff at realizing she was awake so soon after stumbling into bed, Sakura tucked the blankets more firmly around her head and closed her eyes again. She'd been having a pleasant dream, too. Whatever it had been, she wanted to get back to it again as soon as possible. She was just about to slip back into that delightful dream world when it happened again. She woke up... only this time, she knew why.

Someone... a soon to be dead someone... was knocking on the door to the apartment. Sakura groaned again and silently prayed whoever it was would just go away. When the knocking repeated, this time much louder, she knew her prayer was falling on deaf ears.

"Damn it," she muttered as she flailed the blankets off of her angrily, swinging her legs around and hauling herself upright abruptly. She snatched her pale pink robe off of the chair to her vanity and jammed her arms through the sleeves while shuffling stiffly across the floor of her small room. After a week straight of the graveyard shift at the clinic on top of some of the most brutally intense training sessions Tsunade had ever put her through, all she wanted was sleep. It was her day off, for god's sake!

"Alright," she growled at the too-persistent knocker on the door, hissing painfully as her sleep blurred vision caused her to stumble into the coffee table Ino had recently moved. Speaking of her blonde roommate... if it was Ino on the other side of the door claiming to have lost her keys again, she was going to beat her into fuzzy pudding.

Fumbling with the three separate locks to the door (Ino's mom had insisted they have the added protection), she jerked the door open and pinned her bloodshot glare on the idiot in the other side.

She recognized the girl as a new genin being trained as a medic under Shizune's instruction. The girl's chipper smile instantly faded as Sakura arched a brow and demanded sharply, "What?"

Swallowing nervously, the genin held out a piece of paper in her shaking hand. She let out a little squeak as Sakura practically ripped it out of her fingers. Unfolding it, Sakura had to read it through twice before she actually processed what the missive said.

_Come immediately to my office. There's a mission I want you do handle personally. Consider this pay back for hiding my sake... which you WILL bring with you or else!_

_Tsunade_

Sakura crumpled the note into a tight wad and threw it across the hallway, causing the genin to scream and fall to the ground for cover. Without bothering to ease the poor girl's frazzled nerves, Sakura stomped back into her room and began getting dressed for yet _another_ day in the office. She tugged on a fresh bra and panties, opened and slammed shut three drawers in search for a clean shirt and shorts before digging her sandals out from underneath the bed where she'd kicked them the night before. Revenge for hiding the sake... she wasn't even the one to do it this time!

She gathered up her medic gear and was just about to leave when Ino came yawning from her room, blinking in confusion as she spotted her fully dressed (and very pissed) roommate. "Hey... I thought you had the day off?" the blonde girl muttered.

"I did," Sakura snapped. "Until Tsunade-sama noticed the sake from last week went missing!"

"Oh... Wasn't that Shizune's doing?"

"It was, and now I'm paying for it!"

Shrugging, Ino flopped groggily onto their couch and said, "That sucks, especially since Shizune's out on a mission right now and can't confirm that."

"Thanks, Pig. Now I'm _really_ not having a good day," Sakura replied before slamming the door after herself.

Ino yawned again and stretched out on the sofa, tugging the throw blanket Sakura's mother had made down over herself. Normally, she would have been all over Sakura for her attitude... but she did kind of sympathize with her friend, plus she understood Sakura was _not_ a morning person. Living with her childhood friend for a little over a year had taught her that. Snuggling against the couch cushions, Ino made a silent note to have food ready for whenever Sakura got back.

* * *

Sakura took a few seconds outside the sliding door to the Hokage's office to collect herself. Yes, she was mad. Yes, she was exhausted. However, Tsunade had a temper that made her's look like an angry kitten. If the two of them lost it at the same time... Well, Konoha would be reduced to rubble and neither of them would be on speaking terms.

Bouncing on her heals and twisting her neck about to loosen it, Sakura took a deep breath and released it slowly before rapping on the wooden frame. She was calm. She was collected. She was a professional. She was still pissed off. Damn.

"About time you knocked, Sakura-chan! Get in here already," Tsunade called impatiently.

Gritting her teeth. Sakura entered the office and approached the constantly cluttered desk of the Hokage. Tsunade was sitting behind it as usual, but instead of being wrapped up in some document or another, she was watching her apprentice with narrowed, speculative eyes. "You summoned me, Tsunade-sama?" _Even though you know I just finished a week straight of working midnights after training all day with you?_ Of course, that last part was kept inside. Barely.

"Yes, I did," Tsunade drawled, leaning back in her chair and tapping her lips thoughtfully. "How old are you now, Sakura?"

"Umm... Sixteen. Remember, shishou, we just celebrated my birthday last month?" How could the woman forget? She'd given Sakura the medic bag she was now carrying!

"Hmmm... that's pretty young," the older woman muttered before waving her hand dismissively. "Still, I don't think it'll be a problem. Your face is pretty enough, even if you _are_ lacking in the physical development."

Sakura bristled at her words, her fingers curling into tight, shaking fists. "Look, shishou, if you just called me in here to remind me I'm not as well endowed as you or Ino or even Shizune-san then I'm going-,"

"Hold it, girl. It wasn't an insult, just an observation," Tsunade cut in sharply. "What you lack in curves you more than make up for in intelligence and clever thinking. Those two factors alone are more than attractive enough. Plus... you've got a nice, tight ass on you, which is more than Ino can boast. And if that comment leaves this room, I will _personally_ make certain your life is a living hell from which there is no escape. Got it?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." She couldn't help smirking despite the fact she knew her mentor was dead serious about her threat, and very capable of following through on it, too. It was nice to hear _something_ about her body was more attractive than Ino!

Giving a satisfied little grunt, Tsunade leaned forward and perched her elbows on her desk, folding her hands together in front of her lips. "As I said, Sakura, I have a very important mission for you, one that I feel perhaps only you are capable seeing through."

"Is it dangerous?" the pink haired girl asked, her stomach twisting a little at the thought. While she'd been on several missions for the village, none of them had been too perilous so far. On the one hand, she was nervous that this might just be her first real A ranked mission, and on the other she was excited that perhaps she'd finally improved to the point of earning it.

Tsunade smiled and shook her head. "Not life threatening, I can assure you. Think of this more as a personal mission for me than village business."

Sakura's instincts immediately jumped into warning mode. A personal mission for Tsunade, huh? The last time she'd gone on one of those, it had been to travel all the way to Sand to collect some rare wine the Kazekage had said was a gift for her. Tsunade hadn't trusted anyone but her own people to see it safely back to Konoha, despite Gaara's word that his people could handle its transport. "I'm not going on an other liquor run for you, shishou," Sakura said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, don't worry about that! Ino's far more accommodating for that sort of thing," the older woman replied with another dismissive wave of her hand. "What I have in mind for you won't even require that you leave Konoha."

"Okay. What is it?"

The smile that came to Tsunade's lips was anything but reassuring, and the eager gleam to her amber eyes sent Sakura's instincts into full out panic. This was gonna be bad. She just knew it. "What I want you to obtain for me is... _Icha Icha Paradise_."

Sakura stood unmoving and completely silent for several long seconds. Wait... did she seriously just ask... "You know you can just go to one of those dirty adult bookstores and pick up a copy, right?" she said slowly, her eyebrows creasing into thin lines. Did someone happen to slip Tsunade some kind of pervert potion she wasn't aware of? Why would she be asking for _that_?

Tsunade's smile widened into a full out grin that was decidedly wicked. "Not just any _Icha Icha _books," she corrected. "I want Hatake Kakashi's."

Again, and in less than two full minutes, Sakura was struck speechless. She shook her head as her brain refused to put the two parts together. "I'm sorry but... you want _me_ to go on a mission to get Kakashi-sensei's smut books when you can just go out and buy your own?"

"Close enough."

"ARE YOU INSANE? THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GETTING THOSE BOOKS FOR YOU!"

Sakura let out a squeak as Tsunade's open palm slammed onto the desk, sending stacks of mission scrolls and medical files tumbling to the floor. "Listen here, girl," Tsunade growled fiercely. Her face was taking on that red tone she got when she was nearing the breaking point. Oh... crap! "I've got a bet riding on getting those damned books off of him for one week! Since the rules of the bet state that I can't simply order him to hand them over, I need _you_ to get them for me! _BOTH OF THEM!"_

"B-But..."

"No 'buts', Haruno Sakura! BOOKS! I want those books or it'll be another year before you ever see the light of day again!"

A year... of midnight shifts? No... Tsunade-sama wouldn't be _that _cruel... would she? One look at the hard lines to the Hokage's face told her otherwise. Tsunade could, and would, do exactly that just to win a bet. Sighing as her shoulders slumped forward in defeat, Sakura mumbled, "Okay. I'll get the books for you."

Tsunade's laugh was low and triumphant as she leaned back in her chair again. "That's what I like about you, Sakura. You're so agreeable.. Oh, before I forget... the conditions under which you are to work."

Conditions? As if this wasn't ridiculous enough as it was, there were _conditions_ to boot? Still seething, Sakura's teeth clenched tightly as she arched a brow in silent question for what these 'conditions' were.

Eyes still gleaming eagerly, Tsunade held up one finger and said, "First and foremost... you are not allowed to directly ask him for the books. Not that I think he'd give them to you anyway, but I can't have you acting as my proxy since the terms _I_ was given stated I and my representatives could not simply ask for the books. Second, he is _not_ to know of my involvement in this in any way, shape or form. I am to remain completely invisible."

"Great, so _you_ get to remain anonymous while _I'll_ get the wrath of the Copy Ninja brought down on my head," the girl muttered miserably.

There wasn't a trace of sympathy on Tsunade's face as she replied, "Isn't it _your_ task to see that the Hokage's life is never in peril? Besides, I'm certain Kakashi will be far more lenient toward a former student than a complete stranger. Thirdly, the books cannot be obtained through means of ransom, such as giving over the antidote for a poison in exchange for his books. Genjutsu is also forbidden to use, not that he'd fall for that easily anyway."

"So what does that leave me then, huh?" Sakura demanded irritably as she settled her hands on her hips and glared at her mentor. "I can't act on your behalf, I can't just ask to borrow them. I can't bribe or threaten him for the books. And I don't know a genjutsu strong enough to work on Kakashi-sensei, plus I don't think I'm good enough in taijutsu or ninjutsu to even consider using them on him. Any suggestions for your student, Tsunade-_shishou?"_ The title was stressed with quite a bit of exaggerated sarcasm, something that would have earned her a quick chastising by Shizune if the dark haired woman was there. Tsunade, however, was usually more amused by her than irritated so she allowed the occasional burst of temper.

Tsunade's lips curved into a full out, beaming smile as she crossed one leg over the other and tapped her nails along her desk in a slow, staccato rhythm. "As a matter of fact... I do," she said, her voice carrying a mischievous quality that made Sakura's stomach lurch sickeningly. "I agree with you that your jutsu skills are far below Hatake Kakashi's still, even without the use of the sharingan. Nor do I think you're capable of pickpocketing him. I could... but you are far too honest a girl for that."

Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she resettled her arms across her chest. She wasn't falling for her mentor's flattery in the least. The only time Tsunade bothered with open compliments was when she was trying to soften a person into doing something she knew they wouldn't be happy about. "Just spill it, Tsunade-sama. I wanna get back to sleep some time today!"

"Mmm... no. I've already given you a hint, Sakura. You figure it out from there. And those books had better be in my office within six months or it's a year of graveyard shifts for you!"

"That's completely unfair and you know it, shishou!"

Tsunade laughed, but the hard set to her eyes said she was anything but amused. "You're a kunoichi, Haruno Sakura. Get used to unfair. As a way of compensating you, from now until the deadline for the _Icha Icha_ books, you'll be working the midmorning shifts every other day. On the days that you don't have to report to the clinic, you will train with me from nine in the morning until five at night. You will also have Sundays off. Fair enough?"

Sakura's jaw hung open and her eyes widened in shock at the offer. Midmorning shifts were the most coveted ones in the hospital! Seven to three... _and_ one weekend day guaranteed off? _And only three days a week?_ Wow... Tsunade-sama must be pretty desperate to win this bet if she was willing to go _that_ far for those stupid books! Nodding and letting out a slow breath, Sakura said, "Alright. You can count on me, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade beamed at her and said, "Then I'll leave this in your hands. Don't disappoint me, Sakura-chan. And remember... you have six months to get _all_ of his books. Every last one."

Nodding, Sakura bowed to her mentor and headed for the door again while running over the different scenarios for getting those books off of her former teacher. Tsunade had said she'd given her a clue... but what was it? Other than what she wasn't allowed to use, they hadn't really talked about much. Hmmm... Maybe Ino and the other girls would have some ideas about this.

* * *

"So... let me get this straight," Ino said slowly, pointing her chopsticks in Sakura's direction while her face took on a more thoughtful expression. Tenten and Hinata continued eating, the one shoving the food in her mouth almost boyishly fast while the other nibbled at a little bit at a time. Both of them were watching the blonde girl intently while she went over what Sakura had told them. "Tsunade-sama asked you in there today because she want's you to get Kakashi-sensei's books."

"Mm-hm," Sakura answered around a mouthful of chicken. She'd already gone over this with Ino when both girls had woken up later that morning... or afternoon, to be more exact. Ino had listened, then complained that she needed food to wake up and pay attention properly. They'd stopped by Tenten's small apartment first before swinging by the house Hinata had purchased with what remained of her allowance from her family before all four of them had gone to one of the small grill restaurants that were scattered throughout Konoha.

"And you can't ask, order, bribe or jutsu it off of him?"

Sakura shook her head and waved the waiter over for another glass of water. "None of that."

"You could always swipe it from him," Tenten suggested as she plucked a chunk of mushroom from her plate. "He keeps it in his back pocket, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"You're forgetting who you're talking about _and _who you're talking to, Tenten," Ino replied. "First of all, this is _the_ Hatake Kakashi we're talking about here. The famous Copy Ninja. There's no way he'd put his most precious possession in his back pocket if he weren't beyond confident he could keep it from being stolen. Secondly... Sakura stealing it? Can you honestly see that happening?"

"Hey!" Sakura yelped as she swung her foot under the table directly into Ino's shin.

"Ow! That hurt, Forehead! And don't get mad at me for speaking the truth!" the blonde girl shouted back while reaching down to rub her abused leg.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan but... Ino-chan has a point," Hinata added quietly. "Didn't Tsunade-sama say the same thing?"

Shoulders slumping, Sakura muttered, "Damn." They were right. She knew she couldn't expect to just steal the books from him. However... Her green eyes brightening hopefully, Sakura turned to look at Tenten. "I can't... but _you_ probably could, Ten-chan."

Tenten snorted and came close to spitting her food across the table at Hinata. "Sorry," she mumbled around her food. "Gai-sensei's got our team booked with missions for the next three months. If I wasn't busy, then I'd totally do it."

Sakura gave a frustrated groan as she flopped back against the booth. Hinata cleared her throat lightly, which drew everyone's attention to her pink cheeks. "What about... Maybe asking someone else to ask Kakashi-san for the books?" she offered timidly.

Ino snapped her fingers as an excited grin broke out across her lips. "Hey... that could work! Hinata's got a really good idea there, Sakura! Why not ask maybe Asuma-sensei or... I don't know, another jounin... to ask him for the books?"

Shaking her head no, Sakura said, "It won't work. First of all, I don't know any jounins besides Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru well enough to even consider asking them that favor. Second of all, whoever I ask is going to want to know why. I have a feeling Tsunade-sama wants this kept as quiet as possible. Third of all... there's no way short of prying them from his cold, dead hands that Kakashi-sensei would _ever_ let a fellow jounin borrow _Icha Icha_ from him. Ever. Don't you remember when Genma-san was brought into the clinic last time?"

"Ooooh, yeah. He'd had that weird jutsu done to him, the one that had turned him neon blue from head to toe. Not even Tsunade-sama knew how to unravel that chakra." Ino paused to snicker at the memory of a miserable, angry Genma being told he'd just have to deal with being blue until the jutsu wore off. "Shizune hadn't been too happy with him either, as I recall."

"That's because he'd borrowed one of Kakashi-sensei's _Icha Icha_ _Paradise_ books and returned it with a water stain on one of the pages," Sakura informed her, causing Tenten to burst out laughing while Hinata's eyes widened in shock. "Haven't you noticed how Genma gets all tense and twitchy anytime someone even mentions those stupid books? So, after an incident like that, do you honestly think Kakashi-sensei would let anyone even _breathe_ on his books?"

"I guess not," the blonde girl conceded, letting out an irritated huff of breath that blew her hair out of her face. "Wow... turning someone blue over a water stain. Now I'm curious just how good those books actually are!"

"Gai-sensei says they personify the beauty of youth... whatever that means," Tenten supplied. "He started reading them not too long ago because of Kakashi-san's fascination with them. Something about understanding his rival better... I dunno. But, yeah, that's what he says."

"It's just written porn, Tenten. I don't know what Gai-san was getting at either," Sakura said, oblivious to the way Hinata's face lit up bright red at the mention of the word 'porn'. "At any rate, this isn't helping. Tsunade-sama said she'd given me a clue already... but I have no idea what it even was!"

All attention was turned on Hinata again as she let out a startled gasp before dropping her chopsticks and covering her face with her hands. The burning blush that had been on her cheeks was now making its way down her neck. Both Ino and Tenten arched their brows and gaped at the girl while Sakura sighed and dipped her napkin in her ice water before rubbing it along the back of Hinata's neck soothingly.

When Hinata had calmed down enough to lower her hands to the point where her pale eyes could be seen, she whispered, 'I'm sorry, but... I think I know what Tsunade-sama intends for you to do, Sakura-chan."

"You do?" Ino piped up, leaning forward eagerly.

Nodding weakly, Hinata spared a glance at Sakura before surepticiously edging toward the end of the booth and away from the pink haired girl next to her. Still speaking from behind her hands, Hinata said, "Didn't... Didn't Tsunade-sama discuss your age and, um... your looks as well?"

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion as she said, "Yeeees... but what's that got to do with anything?"

'Well, um... you see... I think... I think Tsunade-sama wants you to, um..."

Ino's shriek caused Tenten to yelp in surprise and grip the table to keep from falling out of the booth. Sakura's rounded eyes whipped around to her friend while Hinata winced and slowly lowered her hands from her face. "I've got it!" the blonde exclaimed. "I know what you need to do! You're right, Hinata, that's _exactly_ what Tsunade-sama meant! Why else say anything at all about her age and appearance? You're a genius, Hinata!"

"Um... thanks?" the quiet girl offered with a timid smile.

"Well, it's great that _you_ know, Pig, but do you mind filling me in on this as well?" Sakura demanded sharply.

Ino rolled her eyes as a mischievous smirk that was a little too reminiscent of Tsunade's crossed her lips. "I'm surprised you didn't catch on sooner, Forehead. Honestly..."

"Stop acting like a know-it-all and just tell me already!"

Clearing her throat and smoothing her palms flat onto the table top, Ino replied in a calm, collected voice that didn't at all match her amused smirk, "You need to seduce the books off of him."

Their table feel completely silent at that. Hinata was as close to the edge of the booth as she could get while still sitting. Tenten had stopped eating altogether, even going so far as to let her chopsticks drop to her plate with a soft clatter. And Sakura... was slowly fueling chakra into her fist in order to punch a Pig through the wall of the restaurant.

"You better be joking, Ino," she said in a low, threatening voice. "I am _not_ seducing my teacher!"

"_Ex_-teacher," Ino corrected, her blue eyes darkening ever so slightly. She wasn't a fool. She knew damned well Sakura's temper was about to explode on her. "Why else would Tsunade ask your age? Or say that your ass was nice? I mean, seriously! Everyone _knows_ my ass is a lot better looking than yours!"

"Only if they're blind _and_ without taste," Sakura shouted. "I. Will. Not. Seduce. Kakashi!"

"Why not? Is it because you know you can't do it?" the blonde goaded, causing Hinata to whimper and Tenten to gulp.

"Hey... guys," Tenten attempted to interrupt nervously. Her gaze flickered around to the other restaurant patrons, who were now watching their table with mixtures of curiosity and nervousness.

Sakura's fist slammed onto the table top, causing their dishes to jump nearly an inch from the surface as a deep crack split down the wood. "What did you just say, Pig?" she ground out through clenched teeth.

Ino flicked her hair back over her shoulders as a confident smile curved across her lips. "I mean, I know _I_ wouldn't feel capable of seducing anyone if I had a forehead as big as yours. Or if my legs looked as twiggy as yours. Or if I didn't have much of a chest to boast about. So... it's okay, Sakura-chan. I understand why you don't think you can do it."

"WHAT WAS THAT, INO-PIG?" Sakura yelled, which sent Hinata and Tenten racing out of the booth in an instant.

Ino, however, stood her ground. If there was one thing she did well, it was manipulate Haruno Sakura. Pretending as if her nails were of the utmost fascination, Ino purred, "Why, seeing as we're such good friends, I'll even do it for you. Six months was the time limit? Ha! I'll have Hatake Kakashi's entire collection in five! _And_ I'll even get the added bonus of being one of the lucky few to see him without his mask." She sighed dramatically as her features shifted into an almost dreamy look. "I've heard _so_ many stories about how hot he is under that mask. It'll be nice to-,"

"Save it," Sakura snapped as she stood up abruptly. "There's no way in HELL I'm gonna let you get those books off of him! No. Freakin'. Way. Got that, Pig? So take your _friendly_ offer and shove it!" Snatching her purse up, she stormed out of the restaurant completely unaware that everyone was gaping at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted wings.

Slowly, everyone began to return to their meals, still glancing every so often at the remaining three girls. Tenten gulped as she and Hinata made their way cautiously back to the booth where Ino had resumed eating with a contentment that seemed incredibly wrong for what had just happened. "So," Tenten said slowly. "That was kinda crazy. Wow."

"Was it necessary to push her that far, Ino-chan?" Hinata asked worriedly, chewing her lower lip as she gazed at the door Sakura had left through.

Ino took a sip of water, her very demeanor indicating that she wasn't at all phased by Sakura's outburst. "Of course it was," she said smoothly. "If I know one thing about Haruno Sakura, it's this; tell her she can't do something, and she's gonna do it just to prove you wrong. Especially if it's me saying she can't do it. Now... there's almost no chance of her failing!"

Tenten's eyes nearly bugged from her head as she gave a short, surprised laugh. "You mean... all that... you did it on purpose? I mean... wow, Ino! That was brilliant!"

"Hmm, I know. There's only one problem though; Sakura's never been on a date before. And, in order for this to work, she's gonna have to go on dates with Kakashi-san."

The other two girls stiffened as if ice had been poured down the backs of their shirts.

"Oh, dear."

"That... is just weird."

Nodding, Ino pushed her plate away and reached for her own purse, pulling out enough money to cover both hers and Sakura's lunches. "That's why we still need to stick with her through this. Between the three of us, we'll help her seduce him!" This time, it was Ino's peal of laughter that caused the other patrons to look at their table once again.

Uncaring that they were once again making a scene, Ino continued laughing... until she caught sight of her companion's faces. Both were looking anywhere but at her, Tenten doing so guiltily while Hinata's cheeks were once again cherry tinted. "What?" the blonde demanded at their continued silence.

"Well... you probably weren't listening before, but I'm gonna be busy with missions for a while," Tenten ventured cautiously. "Plus, and this is no offense, Hinata, I don't think _she's_ been on a date before either. Soooo... we're not gonna be much help."

Ino blinked rapidly as her gaze shifted from one girl to the other before she let out a frustrated groan and threw her hands into the air dramatically. "Fine! I can do it myself! But the next time you two need guy help, don't even think about coming to us!"

"I've never needed help with guys," Tenten interjected as Ino stood up and passed over her money. "You joke with them when they're being good and beat 'em up when they're being stupid. Simple as that."

"I'm very sorry, Ino-chan," Hinata added, bowing to the taller girl from where she sat. "I-I guess I'm just... well..."

Ino's irritated expression softened a little as she reached forward to tuck a few pieces of Hinata's hair back behind her ears. The gesture was one of familiarity, something only good friends really did, and it caused Hinata to look up in surprise. "Well... I suppose since I'm the only one who has any sort of _real_ experience with guys, you'll both have to come to me for advice anyway." She paused when she reached the doorway, her grin turning wicked as she called over her shoulder, "Especially when it concerns Lee-kun and Naruto-kun!"

With that parting shot and their horrified, scarlet faces still staring at her back, Ino left the restaurant and returned to her apartment to wait for Sakura to get back. After all, she wanted to hear _all_ the details about her friend asking her former teacher out!

* * *

Sakura stood outside the jounin compound doors, nervously wringing her hands in front of her. After that stupid Ino had gone and opened her mouth like that, her temper had carried her this far. But now that she was standing outside the large, three storied building... she felt like she was going to puke. What the _hell_ was she doing there? She couldn't possibly go through with this... could she?

One year worth of midnight shifts... or asking her former teacher out on a date. Hmmm... it was a tough choice, really.

Of course, knowing how Tsunade could be, if she failed to do this then those midnight shifts were going to be spent in the intensive care unit. All night, having to change bandages, work complicated procedures, get blood soaked... this on top of Tsunade's regular training sessions, of course. Suddenly, the prospect of having one date with Kakashi-sensei didn't seem so bad.

She was so lost in thought that she almost missed the familiar silver hair and slouched figure of her teacher as he was leaving the main building with a small group of fellow jounins with him. Sakura shook her head and forced down her lunch as she jogged after the group, cringing as she reached out and tugged on Kakashi's flak vest.

The older man turned around with a surprised lift to his visible brow which quickly shifted into a happy expression when he recognized her. "Hello, Sakura-chan! Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise."

"K-Kakashi-sensei, I need... I need to talk to you...about something," she stammered before closing her eyes and mentally kicking herself for coming across so lamely. There was no way the other jounin he was with would think she was there on official business now! Venturing to crack one eye open, she saw her fears were confirmed by the knowing looks on some of the faces.

Kakashi spared a glance over his shoulder as someone snickered before saying cheerfully, "Alright then." He began walking back to the building with Sakura following behind him. Her cheeks flared up when the snickers became full out laughter, which in turn became anger when one of them went so far as to whistle after them. If she ever found out who that was...

Once they were inside the compound, Kakashi led her down the main hall and past the front desk, tossing an idle wave at the jounin stationed there before turning down a hall on the left. Sakura was too busy staring at the floor to really pay attention to her surroundings. She'd never been inside the jounin facility before, and normally she would have been very curious about it, but seeing as she was there to ask out a man (not a boy or a guy, but a _man_) who was fourteen years older than she was... yeah. Everything except for the muted tan tiles of the floor were very uninteresting.

She looked up when she heard a door being slid open, her eyes wide as Kakashi stepped into a room and flicked on the lights. The room was a small one, most of the space being taken up by a horseshoe shaped table with chairs. There was a wide black board on the wall across from the entryway that had all sorts of chalk scribbles across from it that made no sense to her. Sakura swallowed heavily as she stepped in after him, sliding the door shut carefully as another group of jounin began to walk by.

"Now then... sorry about those guys," Kakashi said as he leaned back to sit on the edge of the table, folding his arms over his chest. "Even grown ups can act immaturely now and then. So, what was that something you needed to talk about? It can't be additional training. From what I hear, Tsunade's working you within an inch of your sanity."

"No... no, it's not training," Sakura fumbled, looking anywhere but at him as she spoke. "Actually, I wanted to, uh... ask if you..."

She missed the way Kakashi's eye narrowed suspiciously as he regarded her closely. "You're unusually tongue tied today, Sakura-chan," he commented. "Is it really that hard to talk to me now? I know we haven't seen each other much due to both of us being busy, but you _can_ talk to me, you know."

"I know," she said quickly, fidgeting as she gave a dry little laugh. "I like talking to you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Well, that's funny seeing as you can't seem to get a full sentence out today. Tell you what, why don't you come back later tonight and ask? I understand those clowns probably made you feel uncomfortable, so-,"

"No! No, really I'm fine! I-I just... argh!" Kakashi's eyebrow arched again as she stamped her foot in frustration. Sakura's hands fisted in annoyance with herself. What was wrong with her? Yes, this was her ex-teacher and yes, he was a lot older than she was. But what did that matter really? She should be able to do this without any problem, right? After all, there could be a mission in the future where she would have to seduce someone for information. What kind of kunoichi was she if she couldn't even get some stupid books off of her teacher?

Sighing, Sakura forced her hands to relax at her sides as she took three deep, even breaths and slowly opened her eyes again. She could do this, no problem. It was just asking him out to dinner. Maybe she'd get lucky and it wouldn't be so bad. Her determination to do this despite what Ino had said (as well as to keep from working midnights for a solid year) was what finally gave her the courage to look Kakashi directly in the eye and say, "Kakashi-sensei, will you have dinner with me sometime?"

Kakashi blinked, his one visible eye clearly showing his surprise. Sakura refused to look away as he shifted a little and cleared his throat. "Would you mind clarifying that a little?"

"Huh? What needs clarifying? I'm asking you out to dinner."

"Yes, but to me it sounds almost like you're asking me out on a date."

"That's because I am!" she huffed, shooting a heated glare in his direction. "When a girl asks you out to dinner sometime, that usually means she wants to go on a date!"

"Usually, but not always," Kakashi interjected, his voice slipping into the tone he'd used for lecturing her. It made her cheeks flush pink as the reality of what she was doing sank back in. This was her teacher. He was almost her age now when she was born. _She was actually asking her teacher out on a date!_

"Well?" she demanded, pressing one hand to her stomach to try and ease the roiling feeling. She had to stay calm. Puking all over him would ruin any chance of her ever succeeding in this.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully under his breath as he directed his gaze up at the ceiling, making Sakura inwardly seethe at the very idea that he had to actually stop and _think_ about saying yes to her. Finally, his eye creased close in a familiar display of amusement as he said, "Sounds okay to me, but on three conditions."

Sakura groaned and let her head tip forward. More conditions... she was getting really sick and tired of this. "Fine, what are they?" she grumbled.

"Well, the first can be resolved right now. I'd like you to ask me out to dinner again... this time without the honorific."

"What? Why?" she yelped. Hadn't he noticed how embarrassing it was for her the first time around? Why was he making her do this again?

The look in his eye was unyielding. If she didn't do this, he wasn't going to go through with it. "Because, Sakura-_chan_," he explained, stressing the honorific he attached to her name purposely. "A date isn't the same thing as dinner. Dinner is what a student and former teacher have together. A date is between friends or equals, which we've technically been for over two years now. So... if you're certain about doing this, ask me out as an equal or don't do it at all."

She hated to admit it... but she did see his point. Sighing, Sakura stared very fixedly at his chest and repeated, "Kakashi, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"

"That's much better, and yes I would. Now, for the last two conditions... 'Sometime' is a bit vague, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Sakura muttered, still refusing to look at him. Why was he making this so much harder than it had to be? He really was sick if he got off on irritating her.

Kakashi reached into one of his vest pockets andpulled out a small scroll used for sending messages and a pencil. Using his hand as a surface to write on, he began scribbling across the slip of paper quickly. "So, how about I edit the 'sometime' part to tomorrow night. And, as my final condition, I'd like to pick the place. Meet me at this location at seven o'clock."

Sakura took the slip of paper he handed to her and squinted at the scrawling mass of scribbles across it. "I can't even read that," she complained, turning the paper around in case she had it upside down.

She couldn't see it, but she could tell Kakashi was frowning as he took the paper from her and flipped it back the other way. "It says number seventeen, Asaihi Lane. It's perfectly legible."

"It is not! Are you seriously trying to tell me _that's_ a one?"

"It _is_ a one. Look, it has the little hook-thing and-,"

Sakura grabbed the paper back from him and jammed it into her pocket. "Number seventeen, Asaihi Lane at seven tomorrow night. I've got it."

The next thing that happened left her so shocked that she thought for sure she'd been frozen. Kakashi actually reached out traced a finger down the curve of her cheek before stepping around her and calling over his shoulder, "I'm looking forward to it, Sakura. See you later!"

Blinking and so numbed that she wasn't even sure she was breathing, Sakura remained rooted in the spot long after Kakashi had left the room chuckling. Slowly, she reached up and pressed her palm to the cheek he'd just touched. Then, she was running for the garbage can near the door to empty her stomach contents. Oh... god. This was not good! How was she supposed to have dinner with a man that made her insides go all weird?

"Damn you... shishou," she choked as another round of vomit came from her mouth.

* * *

Kakashi was still chuckling as he caught up to the rest of his companions at the Academy training grounds. They were going to observe the new genin candidates for training, just to get an idea of who they would soon be teaching. It was easy enough to spot them without Genma's shrill whistle. Gai's flamboyant green unitard stood out anywhere except a dance studio.

Waving as he joined them, he arrived just in time to witness Iruka take a misplaced elbow to the groin. The little girl who'd caused the damage began shrieking as Iruka dropped to his knees, waving away the other instructor out there with him. Low, sympathizing groans came from a few of those present, and some of the younger boys began snickering to themselves.

"Don't let Tsunade get her hands on that one," Asuma commented while shaking his head as Iruka stood up again. Immediately, the jounin assembled began applauding and shouting encouragement to the other man, who gave them a wry smile and wave in return.

"Seriously," Genma agreed, laughing under his breath. "There are days where I really regret Shizune ever hooking up with that crazy woman." Asuma chuckled as he lit a cigarette and patted Genma's shoulder in consolation.

"Speaking of the Hokage, wasn't that young blossom of a girl her apprentice?" Gai asked Kakashi, his dark eyes gleaming brightly as they fell on a boy who was doing particularly well with his taijutsu training.

"Mm-hm. That was Sakura," Kakashi confirmed as he pulled his book out from behind his back. He really wasn't interested in the training below. He'd already discussed it with Tsunade and had his name taken off the roster for training this time around. Team Seven was his and he really didn't feel like breaking in a new group of genin so soon. The Hokage had driven a hard bargain though. Since he wasn't teaching, he was put back on the active roster and reinstated in the ANBU as well.

"So, what'd the old hag want now?" Genma pressed, chewing on the end of his senbon as he continued watching the lessons intently. Because of Kakashi's request, he'd been selected to become a squad leader instead, something he wasn't too happy about. Maybe he'd take a page from the Copy Nin's book and flunk every one of his students, too.

"Nothing. This was purely a social call."

Asuma grinned and winked at Genma as he said, "Awww... I didn't know you were the type have social calls with younger girls, Hatake."

"Only with your girlfriend, Sarutobi."

Ignoring the spurts of laughter from the other two present, Asuma waggled a finger in Kakashi's direction and said in mock threat, "That's my wife and the future mother of my children, you know."

"Sure they're your kids?" Genma cracked before grinning as he ducked a punch for his arm. Kakashi neatly sidestepped when Asuma lunged at Genma, easily getting the slighter man into a headlock before wrestling him to the ground. "Ow... okay, okay! I give! Damn, man, I thought Kurenai had you whipped by now!"

Asuma was laughing as he took the hand Genma offered and let the other man help him to his feet. "Only in the most fun sense of the word."

"I want that one," Gai interrupted as he pointed down at the training field. The rest of their group (mostly people Kakashi didn't know but who seemed to be well acquainted with someone he _did_ know) followed where he directed to a young girl who was running circles around the boys.

"Now, now Gai-sempai, this isn't like the grocery store," one of the other jounin teased. "You can't just go and pick whoever it is you want. The teams are created and assigned by the Hokage."

Gai's face scrunched up briefly into a pout before he gave a resigned nod and said, "Then I want to trade with whoever gets her."

"Uh... can you even do that?"

Genma smirked at the whispered question and shrugged. "Who says you can't? Gai, if I get that little speed demon on my team, I get to pick who I trade her for."

"It's a promise," Gai agreed, holding out his hand while never taking his eyes off the 'speed demon' in question. Genma shook his hand, his grin widening as the others began whispering to themselves about whether or not that could be done.

"Anyway," Genma continued as he sidled up next to Kakashi once more. Kakashi ignored the other man as he turned to the next page in his book, his eyes flying eagerly over every word. "About this social visit from Tsunde's firecracker. Raidou over there says he thinks she was asking you on a date."

"Is Raidou the one who whistled at her?" Kakashi asked as he followed Genma's nod to the mentioned man. Raidou was busy discussing what appeared to be a very serious topic with another man. The frown on his lips really emphasized the scar running down one side of his cheek.

"Naw, Raidou wouldn't do that," Genma said quickly. "That guy already had his ass handed to him by Gai for 'making light on the beauty of youth, blah, blah, blah'. But I guess the Green Beast does have a good point. She _is_ awfully cute for being so young."

"Hmm, you think so, eh? Does Shizune know you're checking out Tsunade's apprentice?"

Genma visibly shivered at the idea of his lover ever hearing about such a thing. "Are you kidding me? In case you forgot, Shizune's a poison expert. There is no way in hell I'd do anything to hurt a poison expert!"

Kakashi chuckled as he said, "Smart man. Because if for some reason Shizune forgave you, you _know_ Tsunade wouldn't."

"Oh...god. Why didn't I think of that _before_ hooking up with Shizune? But stop evading the question, Hatake. What'd she want?"

Smirking beneath his mask and doing a quick check to make certain only Genma was listening to him, Kakashi answered, "Your friend Raidou is pretty observant."

"Oh... so it _was_ a date?"

"Yep."

"And you said...?"

"Yes."

Genma took a step back from Kakashi, his senbon nearly falling from his mouth in shock. Kakashi continued to ignore him in favor of his book, though it was getting increasingly more difficult to keep from laughing. "Uh... don't take this the wrong way or anything, Kakashi, but have you even considered that there might be an alternative reason for this kid to ask you out?"

"She's not a kid. She hasn't been for some time now. And yes, I know there's probably another reason for this. After all, she's been mad for Uchiha Sasuke since the day she was my student. I doubt that's changed at all."

"And you know what she's after, don't you?"

Kakashi sighed and closed his book with a slight snap, mildly irritated that Genma was pestering him when it was obvious he would have preferred to read instead of talk. "No, not yet. But whatever it is, she's required to try and seduce it out of me."

Genma chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "Lucky you. So, how far are you willing to play along with this?"

"First, I need to find out what it is she wants but can't directly ask for. Next... a little lesson is in order."

"Oh, and what's that lesson entail?"

Smirking as he tucked his book away and turned his back on the group, Kakashi leaned in and said in a voice so low only Genma could have heard it, "That seduction is a double edged sword."

He patted Genma's shoulder as the other man gaped after him before laughing as he called out, "You... are just too much! Have fun, _sensei!_"

Kakashi tossed an airy wave over his shoulder as he left the group in favor of his favorite reading spot in all of Konoha; the rooftops. Yes, it more than likely would prove to be fun to show Sakura she needed to be _very_ careful just who it was she was planning to seduce. After all, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed she'd turned into a very attractive young woman under Tsunade's guidance. But the real reason he would 'go along' with the plan was to teach her a very valuable lesson within the relative safety of her home. Seducing a friend and former mentor was one thing. Seducing a stranger who could quite possibly kill you was another.

Sighing, Kakashi took a running start up the side of the nearest building and dropped soundlessly onto the rooftop. To answer Genma's question about how far he was willing to go; as far as it took to drive the lesson home.


	2. Next To You

"I can't do this. Why am I doing this?" Sakura muttered to her reflection as she adjusted the little flower clips that held her hair back on either side. Her fingers were shaking badly as she fumbled to latch a thin gold chain around her neck. The little charm dangling from the chain was a small cherry blossom her parents had given to her for her sixteenth birthday. They'd told her it would bring her luck. Now, she was desperately hoping that luck would involve her getting out of this stupid date she had.

"It's because your options are either this or a year of midnight shifts," Ino reminded her from the living room.

"Maybe I could say something came up at the hospital... no, that wouldn't work. He'd just try and reschedule. Oh, I _could _always say I'm... no, that won't work either." Sakura huffed and hunched forward while looking at the miserable gaze in her mirror. "I'll work all your weekend shifts for the next six months if you get me out of this."

"By doing what, taking your place?" the other girl laughed dryly as she came into Sakura's bedroom. "Sorry, sweetie, but I think he'll notice a _huge_ difference." She looked pointedly at Sakura's less-than-full breasts. 'I thought you were gonna wear that push up gel bra we purchased yesterday."

Sakura pouted as she looked down at her own chest. "I _am_ wearing it," she replied miserably before giving a sigh of futility as she grabbed her perfume off the vanity top. She hesitated before adding just a little squirt to her neck. While she _really_ didn't want to do this, there was no solid way out of it either. So... if she was going to go through with the date, then she was going to do it the right way, damn it! Ino didn't think she was seductive enough? Ha! She'd show that Pig once she had Hatake Kakashi's infamous books in her possession.

Rubbing her lips together to make sure the lip gloss was evenly applied, she grabbed the only cute purse she owned and turned around to face Ino. "So... how do I look?" she asked, doing a twirl so she could see the whole show.

The outfit she'd had to buy for the occasion was definitely more racy than everything but her underwear, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Ino's date outfits. The pale yellow dress had a rounded neck line that came right up to her neck and had little traces of gold embroidery throughout to pick up on the faint fan pattern of the fabric. It had long sleeves that were actually too long for her arms, causing her to tuck the hem under so that it looked alright. The only thing she hadn't been too happy about was how short the skirt was and how tight it all fit. If her mother ever saw her wearing something like that...

Ino's eyes narrowed and her lips twisted together thoughtfully as she looked her over. Sakura fidgeted while waiting nervously for Ino's verdict. Finally, the blonde girl grinned and said, "You look good, Forehead, though I still say you should have gone with that strapless one. You definitely could have pulled it off since you're pretty flat."

"Shut up, Ino-Pig!" Sakura snapped, dropping to the floor to dig under her bed for the one pair of dress sandals she had. She was completely unaware of the fact that Ino made a pretend kicking motion at her barely covered ass while she did so. Ino was quick to resume her former position of standing by innocently when Sakura surfaced with the straps dangling from her fingers. They weren't nearly as high as some of Ino's shoes, but at least the muted gold color would match the rest of her accessories... except for her black purse.

"I'm just saying you could have," the blonde girl continued, watching her roommate step into the heals awkwardly. It was obvious Sakura hadn't worn them in a while. "And you're not really gonna wear those ugly sandals of yours, are you?" she added with a smirk. She'd be damned if she was going to make this easy for Forehead!

Sakura froze in wrapping the thin straps up her calves, frowning as she shot a glare at her own feet. She knew Ino wasn't being serious, seeing as the blonde had borrowed those very same shoes several times before. Ino was just trying to mess with her head, that was all. It would be just like her to do. A slow, malicious little smile touched her lips as she finished tying the straps in place, grabbing her bag again as she headed for the door.

"Well, the point of this is to seduce him, not convince him I'm a stripper or a prostitute," she replied as she opened the door. "I don't know what you plan to do on _your_ dates, Ino, but I find guys respond better to a girl who looks decent." She shut the door just as Ino let out an angry snarl and began to stomp after her. Served her right for being so petty!

Tucking her apartment key into her purse, Sakura walked down the two flights of stairs to the main entrance and left, repeating the address over and over in her head so that she wouldn't forget it. Number seventeen Asaihi Lane. That's where she'd be having her date with Kakashi. God... her date. With Kakashi. What were the odds of some natural disaster happening right at that moment?

* * *

Ino continued glaring at the door for a few seconds more, as if she had half a mind to kick down their door and run after her hot-headed roommate. Considering Sakura had never been on a date before, she had some nerve suggesting Ino put out for all of hers! Still grumbling to herself, Ino stomped over to the door, shoved her feet into her sandals and grabbed her key off the hook by the door.

She knew where Sakura was going to be. They'd been talking about it that afternoon after shopping, but they hadn't actually stopped by to check the place out. From the start, she'd planned to secretly tag along in case things weren't going well so that she could try and help out, but now there wasn't a chance in hell of _that_ happening. Now, she was going just to bear witness to Sakura falling flat on her face... and to see what Kakashi looked like without his mask.

* * *

It seemed like the streets of Konoha had gotten much shorter than she remembered... or else she'd just been walking too fast. Either way, she was in front of the address he'd told her in what felt like record time and found herself staring at the building in confusion. It was... a tea shop. And it was closed for the evening. What in the hell was she doing there? Did she have the wrong address? No... she couldn't have. She'd memorized it when he'd given it to her the night before.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered as she crossed her arms over her stomach and tapped her foot impatiently. Should she wait there for him? Maybe she could sneak home and...

"I'll say. They must have changed their hours since the last time I was here."

Sakura yelped and jumped in surprise at the sound of Kakashi's voice so close behind her. "Where did you come from? And what are you doing _on time?"_

She heard Kakashi chuckle as he shrugged and took a half step closer to her. She had to fight the urge to take a step away from him. The point of this was to seduce him and backing off when he obviously wanted to get closer wasn't an option. "Some things are worth showing up on time for," he replied, speaking low enough that the passersby couldn't hear him.

Sakura's eyes widened and she choked on her next breath in. Was that a compliment? It sure sounded like it was. He'd pretty much insinuated she was worth showing up on time for, so... Maybe this dress wasn't such a bad idea after all. With the idea that maybe her plan would work after all riding high in her mind, Sakura smiled and let her fingertips toy with her necklace coyly. "Wait until I tell Tsunade-sama about that," she teased.

"Oh, please don't. I've got a reputation to maintain. You look very nice, by the way."

"I do?" she feigned, running her hands down the short, tight skirt as if there were a few wrinkles she was trying to smooth out. "Seeing as I had no idea where we were going, I just kinda... threw something together." She took the opportunity then to look him over, frowning when she noticed not much had changed.

He still wore a mask, but this time it was attached to what almost looked like a ribbed, long sleeve black shirt. Black pants that were left unbound at the ankles were the substitute for the usual, as were the closed toed shoes (or boots, she couldn't tell) instead of sandals. He was very carefully keeping the sharingan eye closed in absence of the protector that usually covered it. It was different... but at the same time comfortingly familiar.

"Very monochromatic of you," she commented with a smile to let him know she was only making fun of him.

"Ah, so nice of you to notice," Kakashi replied as his visible eye creased closed into an amused expression. It was a little odd to see that familiar expression mirrored with his other eye as well. "But, considering where we're going I thought it'd be appropriate. Ready to go?"

"Wait... you mean this tea shop wasn't where we were going to have our date?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Here? It's a tea shop. You can't have dinner in a tea shop."

"Then why did-,"

Kakashi smiled and shrugged as he answered, "It's a neutral location that's fairly close to our _real_ destination. Besides, I didn't want you spying out the real place ahead of time. Before we go, however... do you think you can talk our stalker into going home?"

"Our... stalker...?" What was he even talking about? Sakura began to look around as her stomach flip-flopped sickeningly. She'd been followed? Her eyes narrowed and her fingers curled into tight, angry fists as she picked up on a familiar chakra in the area. "Ino... that Pig!"

"Ahh... she's your roommate, right?"

"Not for very much longer she isn't," Sakura growled, pushing her sleeves up her arms as she began storming toward the blonde's location. She'd get rid of her quickly enough. One good punch would do the trick nicely!

"Hold on a second, Sakura," he chuckled, his arm shooting out to catch her before she could march passed him. Sakura struggled a little against his hold, her attention focused solely on beating Ino to a pulp. It took him forcibly maneuvering her around to face him by placing his hands on her shoulders before she stopped and met the amused twinkle in his eye. "There's a better way than maiming her to solve the problem."

"Oh, yeah? Because right now, maiming sounds like a really good idea." She tried twisting away again, only to gasp as he pulled her back once more. "Kakashi! Come on, it'll only take a second!"

"We really don't have a second to spare, Sakura," he chided lightly. "If we don't get there soon, we won't be eating until almost ten o'clock."

Sighing and still glaring as the chakra began to get even closer to them, Sakura muttered, "What do you have in mind?"

"A quick bunshin no jutsu and sprint will work just as well. Are you wearing shoes you can run in?" He peered down at her sandals at the same time she did, his eyebrows rising nearly to his hairline. "Hmm... I guess not."

"Well, I wasn't planning on sprinting from my idiot roommate tonight," she snapped, silently promising herself to get rid of those stupid sandals as soon as she got home.

The chuckle that escaped from him did very little to ease her roiling stomach. "Just do your best to keep up then. Okay, ready?" He released her shoulders and, maintaining eye contact with her, they both worked the hand seals necessary to create their clones. Sakura felt the pull of chakra unspindling from inside her and flowing down her arms shortly before a perfect copy of herself appeared next to her. Damn it, why hadn't she thought of sending a shadow clone on the date instead?

"Right, let's get out of here before she sees us," Kakashi said, waving to his clone as it walked off with her own. People were gaping from them to the pair of clones in surprise, a few of them smiling and shaking their heads.

Sakura gasped when he suddenly grabbed her hand and not only pulled her forward but _up._ As in, up the side of the building. Geeze... a little warning would have been nice! Thank goodness Tsunade worked her chakra control to the limits, otherwise she would have gone face first into the wall and been dragged up three stories of concrete. As it was, she barely managed to keep from twisting her ankle anyway.

Once on the roof top, Kakashi broke into a full out sprint that had her pushing to keep pace with him, which was harder than usual considering she wasn't wearing very practical shoes for running. All the while they ran and leapt from rooftop to rooftop, Sakura was silently seething and fantasizing all the different ways she'd make him hurt once this whole thing was done and over with. As much as she wanted to send him across Konoha on her fist, she doubted he'd come back for a second date if she did.

"Where are we going?" she called over to him as she struggled to keep the skirt in place as they ran.

"Kuroppoi. Ever hear of it?" he answered, glancing at her briefly before returning his attention to the landscape. Luckily for him, his mask hid the smirk that came when he noticed her trying to keep her short skirt from riding up to her waist.

"No."

"Then you're in for a real treat. Okay, at this next building we're going back to the street. Then it's just two blocks back the way we came."

"Oooh... so we're back tracking to cause her some confusion!"

"Exactly."

Sakura couldn't help grinning despite the fact that she was sweaty, irritated about having to take these steps to avoid being followed and that they were going to a place she hadn't heard of before. Only moments before she'd been ready to knock him the hell out and now... even though the whole date was shaping up to be pretty odd, she had to admit it was kind of funny.

They jumped back down to street level again, startling a couple making out in the alley way into fleeing. Sakura leaned forward with her hands on her knees and took deep, even gulps of air into her lungs to control her breathing. Kakashi was leaning against the wall next to her, and even if she couldn't see it she knew he was grinning. "You've definitely gotten much faster, Sakura," he complimented. "What's even more impressive is that you managed it in those shoes."

She flashed a smile up at him as she stood straight and fixed her dress. "That's two compliments so far. Keep that up and you might get a second date." Was that too forward? It had sounded flirty and playful in her head, but she wasn't sure...

Fortunately, Kakashi gave a low laugh at her joke before startling her once again by taking her hand. Shit, she really hoped he didn't notice her tensing up! "So, flattery's your thing, eh?" he asked. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sakura blushed and remained quiet after that, simply following him as he guided them down unfamiliar side streets and through the busier sections of Konoha she'd not ventured into before. This area was nothing but narrow streets, tall buildings boasting multiple shops and restaurants, various clubs of all sorts, bars... Basically, it was a place where adults would go to have fun. Not sixteen year old girls. Great, what was _she_ going to do when it was her turn to pick a date? Take him to one of _her_ hangouts? He'd be bored to tears!

Her breath caught in her throat when his thumb began to massage the back of her hand gently. "Sorry, is that not okay?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

She shook her head quickly and forced out a laugh that didn't sound too nervous, at least to her ears. "No, no! It's fine. It's... nice, actually." And it was, too, which was both surprising and alarming. He had really nice hands, she decided. Calloused, as would be expected from a shinobi, but still very nice. He probably gave really good back massages... Okay, stop! None of that. No massaging thoughts at all. God, what was _wrong_ with her?

"Hopefully we get there soon. This place gets full pretty fast," Kakashi said, obviously trying to make small talk

"So, it's pretty popular, huh?" she asked back, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd. They'd just come up to a heavily congested portion of the street. Apparently, three different establishments were having events that night, causing customers to cram in wherever they could. She could have sworn she caught sight of Iruka-sensei near one of the buildings, but when she turned back to look the man wasn't there. Huh... While she knew it was silly to think so, she'd never really thought that any of the instructors did anything but teach. To have possibly caught Iruka-sensei out having fun was interesting... and a little weird.

Kakashi's hand tightened on hers as he began maneuvering them through the mess of patrons. "Well, it's certainly unique, I can promise you that," he replied, turning just enough for her to catch his typical winking smile. However, his choice of descriptive words did little to ease her qualms about what sort of place he was taking her to.

They finally made it out of the masses and into a stretch of street that was much less crowded. All Sakura could do was follow him as he took a turn here or there, angling off onto some odd street that seemed to pop up out of nowhere and basically creating a mess out of her sense of direction. There was no way she was going to find her way home from this place now! If he just up and left her afterward, then Tsunade could forget about ever getting those books. She would burn every single _Icha Icha Paradise_ she found while he cried miserably over their charred remains.

She was just beginning to think that perhaps Kakashi was lost when he came to a stop outside an odd establishment and proudly proclaimed, "Here we are!"

The reason the building stood out against its neighbors was because there was nothing to it. Unlike the other shops with bright signs and bold window displays, this building was nondescript. It was simply a concrete square painted white with a solid black door. There was no sign with the establishment's name on it, no windows for her to see inside. It was just... there. And it looked terribly out of place.

"What kind of place is this again?" she asked suspiciously as he reached for the door. She'd heard of strip clubs not advertising themselves before. If this was one of those... _Icha Icha_ wouldn't be the only thing she'd destroy.

"It's a restaurant. A very unique restaurant," was his cheerfully offered reply.

Sakura shook her head and kept her mumbles low enough that he hopefully didn't catch them. The place looked more like a misplaced warehouse than a restaurant. She stepped in when he slid the door open and motioned for her to proceed him, glaring at the mischievous look in his eye. She really hated surprises, especially surprises from him. Dreading the worst, she hesitantly entered the restaurant.

She blinked and came to a complete halt just inside the doorway, her jaw dropping open in shock. This was definitely not a warehouse or a strip club. This was...

"Nice, huh?" Kakashi asked behind her, one hand pressing against her lower back to move her further into the lounge area. Sakura was too stunned by the decor to really pay attention to the fact that he was much closer than she normally would have been comfortable with.

"Nice? Are you crazy? This is _amazing!_ I didn't know Konoha had any place like this," she breathed, her eyes flickering all around the small room eagerly.

Everything about the area screamed luxury, from the intricately woven black rug with bright red and white chrysanthemums on it to the glass crystals cleverly hung in spirals from the lights. It wasn't until she was standing under one of the lights that she realized each piece of glass was actually shaped to look like falling flower petals. Thick black curtains were draped across the back wall, completely hiding the dining room beyond it. Clear vases were placed along shelves on the wall and on the low table, all with lit candles and rose petals floating in water.

A woman wearing a formal white kimono and red obi came out from behind the curtain, smiling as she stepped behind the reception desk. An awed sound left Sakura as she noticed to intricately carved desk. She bent over to examine the delicately formed chrysanthemums and dragons that trailed all over the surface and down the sides. Whoever had carved it had done a really clever thing with the stain to emphasize the texture of the flowers against the harsher scales on the dragons. Amazing!

"Hello, and welcome to Kuroppoi," the woman said softly. "Two of you tonight?"

"Yes, thanks," Kakashi answered, smirking as he watched Sakura's fascinated study of the reception desk. Had she known that her skirt had gone up several inches behind her, revealing a good amount of thigh, she probably would have reconsidered her stance. As it stood... he wasn't about to tell her that. His view was _much_ better than hers.

"And which experience would you like tonight? The group or private dining?"

"Group, please. It's her first time." Sakura stuck her tongue out at him as she straightened up, earning her a little chuckle in response. While it wasn't blatantly stated, she had no doubt the double entendre was meant by his choice of words.

The hostess either didn't notice or passed it off as a couple flirting. Instead, she motioned for them to follow her through the curtain. "If you'd please. I have just the table for you to share. We're fortunate tonight to have another newcomer as well."

As they followed her into the other room, Sakura tugged on Kakashi's sleeve and whispered, "What does she mean by that?"

"She means we'll be at a table with another new person," he replied just as quietly, patting her hand as if to comfort her.

"We're eating with strangers?" she hissed back, suddenly feeling a lot less charitable toward him again. Her fingers curled in even tighter to his shirt, just short of pinching his arm. Just what the hell had she gotten herself into with this?

Kakashi smiled and pried her fingers free from his sleeve. "Trust me, you won't even notice them. And I promise you'll never have an experience like this anywhere else."

Sakura's eyes remained narrow and suspicious as she followed the host down a dark hallway that was lined with black curtained entrances to either side and lit candles. "They could really use some lights in here," she commented idly. Why he found that so amusing, she had no idea but there he was laughing under his breath.

The hostess stopped toward the middle of the hall and pulled back the curtain to the room, her welcoming smile never once faltering as she allowed them to enter. Sakura gasped in awe as she was once again struck by how beautiful it was inside the restaurant. The entire room was done in black, with only a few white and red accents thrown in to keep it from being completely monochromatic. The floor was made of polished black tiles that were completely smooth.

The four large, rectangular tables in the room were covered over in white linen and had the most gorgeous floral arrangements she'd seen outside of the Yamanaka's shop. Deep red roses, the lighter colored cherry blossoms, golden toned chrysanthemums and deep green foliage held in rectangular black containers were just... perfect. Every table was full save the one toward the back corner where the hostess was taking them. The cushions that were for the patrons to sit on had to be made out of silk. It wasn't until they reached their table that she noticed the fine embroidery across the black silk cushions. Whatever this place was, it had to be expensive.

There was an older man and woman sitting at the table across from them. The man looked very much like he'd rather be picking splinters out from under his fingernails while the woman sipped her wine with a very smug expression on her face. Sakura took a seat on one of the floor cushions, glancing quickly at Kakashi as he sat next to her. She smiled nervously at the couple across from them. The woman only arched a brow while the man grunted. Okay... so much for making friends with their table mates.

A waitress wearing a kimono as black as the rest of the room came over to pour them some tea. Apparently, black was the color theme of the place. Normally, she would have complained that it was too morbid, but the accents and decorations were what made it tasteful instead. Sakura sniffed at the tiny porcelain cup curiously as the mixture of floral scents wafted into the air. "What's in this?" she asked the waitress.

"That would be our secret recipe," the girl replied. "It's very good, I can assure you, and is best if you drink it before we serve the dinner to clear the palate."

"You mean we don't get any menus?" The woman on the other side of the table snorted and muttered something to her companion. Sakura glared at them, her hand curling into a fist under the table. So she wasn't used to having a pre-selected dinner? So what? That didn't give them the right to be rude to her.

The waitress shook her head and said, "We have a set menu at Kuroppoi, miss. However, if there are certain dietary needs that you have, we can create something around those."

"No... no, that's fine. Thanks though."

Bowing, the waitress moved off to another table to pour tea for the newly arrived diners. Sighing, Sakura picked up her tea and sniffed it again. Chamomile for sure was in there... possibly some honey. There was something else in there that she couldn't place, but it smelled really good. Turning to her companion for the evening, Sakura asked, "Hey, Kakashi? Do you know what's in the tea?"

Kakashi stared at his empty cup thoughtfully and said, "Mm... no. But it's really good. Are you worried it's drugged?" The last was said as a joke, but it went totally over her head. What had her attention was the empty bit of porcelain he'd just returned to the table.

"When did you... how... did you drink the tea?" she stammered, pointing from the cup to him and back again a couple times.

His eyes crinkled closed as he shrugged his shoulders. "With my mouth, of course. You should really do the same though, before it gets cold. It's not quite the same if it's not hot."

Sakura shook her head, still confused as to when exactly he'd removed his mask to drink. That was when another realization sprang to life in her mind. She was going to see Hatake Kakashi with his mask off! This was an event every ninja waited for upon seeing the masked man! And she, Haruno Sakura, was going to see it! Giggling to herself, Sakura brought her cup to her lips.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi asked, causing he to pause before sipping.

"Oh, nothing. I just realized this is gonna be the first time I've ever seen you with your mask off," she answered with a grin before taking a drink from her cup. Her eyes widened before drifting closed almost dreamily. It really _was_ good! Sort of warm like cinnamon, but light and sweet like an herbal tea.

"And that amuses you?" he continued, chuckling himself as he watched her savor the tea.

"A little. I mean, we've always tried to get it off you, you know. I just think it's really funny, that's all."

She froze when Kakashi leaned closer to her, his masked lips so close to her ear she could feel the brush of cotton as he whispered, "Is that why you wanted to go on a date, Sakura? So you could get under my mask?"

Sakura almost spit her tea across the table at the hidden meaning. He continued laughing softly while she choked and coughed, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. "You... pervert," she rasped. "And no, that's not why I asked you out. If you really thought that, then why did you say yes?"

Whatever Kakashi was about to say was lost when a gong sounded and waitresses came in through the black curtained entryway carrying plates of food. Sakura frowned when she noticed they all had odd looking bands covering their eyes now. The bands had thin slits in them that pulsed with chakra, but what they did she couldn't even begin to guess.

"Get your chopsticks ready, Sakura," Kakash warned. "And did you have time to memorize your place setting?"

"Huh? Why would I need to do that?" Sakura asked as she picked up her chopsticks and settled her napkin in her lap.

If she could have seen his grin, she knew it would have been beyond mischievous. "Because tonight... you're dining in the dark."

"What?" she squawked just as the lights went out completely. Immediately she was thrown into blindness, her eyes trying to adjust quickly to her new surroundings. She could hear Kakashi chuckling next to her, the man across from her grunting irritably while his wife murmured something to him. Elsewhere, people were laughing softly, as if afraid to disturb the shadows that now filled the room. Chopsticks clicked against porcelain, the air currents shifted as the waitresses moved around the room to check on guests and begin the service.

"You're being awfully quiet, Sakura," Kakashi teased, his voice sounding strangely unmuffled. Now she knew why he'd picked this place. He could actually have his mask pulled down to eat without her getting a chance to see him. Sneaky bastard!

"Sorry," she muttered while trying to figure out where the food was on her plate. "I've just never had to eat like this before. It's so...weird."

"Well, there _is_ a method to the madness," he explained. "The theory is that most people eat with their eyes and not their mouths. Meaning, if the food is visually appealing then it's automatically going to taste good. By taking away the sense of sight, you have to rely on your other senses to experience the food. Your sense of smell becomes sharper, causing your taste sense to become more alert. You're sense of hearing is more tuned to what's going on around you, thus causing your sense of touch to become heightened. I did promise you this would be unique, didn't I?"

Sakura couldn't help smiling as she shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "It was kinda dirty to spring this on me without any warning," she commented as she finally managed to snag whatever it was with her chopsticks.

"True... but it wouldn't have been as fun for me."

"Ha ha! You're not allowed to pick a date again."

"...So that means I get a second one? Wow, and here I thought I'd have to pay for the bill first."

Sakura laughed and elbowed him before bringing whatever she'd managed to get off her plate to her mouth. The scent of citrus and salt hit her nose first before she popped the mystery food into her mouth. Soft... warm... it tasted familiar though. Definitely seafood of some kind... "Scallops?" she asked.

The man across from her snorted angrily. 'Thank you for ruining it," he snapped.

Thankfully, it was dark so no one could see her blush. "Sorry," she mumbled, searching her plate for another one. Whatever they did to cook the scallops was really yummy. Too bad for Ino she was still mad at her, otherwise she'd see about bringing some home. Ino _loved_ scallops.

Sakua froze when she felt something warm blow across her ear. It nearly stopped her heart when she realized it was Kakashi's breath and that his _bare lips_ were brushing against her ear now. "Don't worry about it. He probably didn't have a clue what it was anyway," he whispered before pulling back again. The shiver that ran down her spine... had nothing to do with him. It was just a reaction to someone blowing across her neck. Yes, that was it.

A touch came to her shoulder, causing her to jump and whirl around in that direction. "Excuse me, miss, I didn't mean to frighten you," the waitress said. "I was going to offer you a refreshment."

"Oh... sorry. I'm fine with water."

The waitress leaned over her shoulder and toward the table. She heard something liquid being poured in a glass to her left and waited until the woman left before sliding her hand across the table cloth in search of her glass. "So, do you come here a lot, Kakashi?" she asked as her fingertips just made out what felt like the base to her water glass.

"Eh, every so often. It makes for interesting conversation later," he replied.

Sakura smiled as she managed to find the last scallop on her plate just as she felt the brush of the waitress' kimono against her back. Immediately, spice hit her nose as a new plate was set in front of her. Strong and rich and definitely hot. Whatever was on her plate now was sizzling and was probably packing more punch than she was used to. It smelled good though. "I guess this place kinda counts on couples not kissing later," she mused as a whiff of garlic hit her nose.

Kakashi laughed quietly next to her, his knee hitting hers as he shifted position. "Well... that shouldn't worry you too much."

She spit out whatever she'd been about to put into her mouth in alarm, looking in the direction she knew he was sitting in shock. "W-Why would you say that?" Oh, God, _please_ don't let him say something like he'd still want to kiss her anyway!

"I don't know what _your_ dating policies are, but I never kiss on a first date."

Sakura sagged forward in relief at his teasing answer. Thank goodness it was something like that! She wasn't sure what she would do if it turned out he wanted to kiss her tonight. After all, she was still getting used to the fact that they were on an actual date... and that it was turning out to be pretty fun. "Right, because that would require you to pull that mask down," she retorted.

"No, no. It can be done without removing the mask."

Sakura arched a disbelieving brow as she took the bite of food she'd been holding in her chopsticks all that time into her mouth. "Oh, yeah?" she challenged around the spiced chicken... or was it pork? No, definitely chicken. And HOT! Sakura nearly toppled her water over as she groped for it quickly. She finished the water off in three large gulps, finally quelling the fire but leaving her unable to eat anymore until the waitress came back around again.

She nearly jumped off of her cushion when Kakashi said in a low voice, "Perhaps, if you're lucky, I'll prove it on a later date."

"Um...," was all she could say to that. Fortunately, the waitress came then to refill her water, thus giving her an excuse not to come up with something in response.

Kakashi's chuckle met her ears before he said, 'I'm only teasing you, Sakura. It's a shame the lights are out. I bet you're a pretty decent shade of red right about now."

"Shut up, I am not! And even if I am, it's all because you're acting like a pervert," she fired back, ignoring the grunting from the man across from them. Honestly, did he know how to do anything but grunt and be insulting?

"Hey, now, that's a little unfair," he complained. "Just because I happen to enjoy the witty dialogue and plot intrigues of _Icha Icha Paradise_, that doesn't mean I'm a-,"

"-Yes, it does. Even more so because you read that stuff in public!"

"I'm telling you, it's impossible to put down once you start. The descriptive sexual acts are merely a side part to its charm."

Sakura snorted as she struggled to collect some more food with her chopsticks. "Charm... yeah, okay."

"Have you ever read an _Icha Icha_ novel?" he challenged, his tone just a little harder than before.

"No, and I don't think I ever will either."

"Then don't knock it until you've tried it."

Smirking and beyond pleased the conversation had shifted naturally to the item she was after, Sakura leaned toward him until her chest pressed against his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat before it began a more wild hammering in her chest, something she really hoped he didn't pay much attention to. And it had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the fact that he had muscles. Really, _really_ defined arm muscles. Well, no surprise there, right? After all, he _was_ a shinobi.

Kakashi didn't so much as flinch as she pressed close to him, her stomach twisting so nervously that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat anything else for the rest of the night. She knew her palms were sweating a little as she placed them on her cushion for balance. God, she couldn't believe she was doing this! "Are you offering to let me borrow one?" she asked in what she hoped was a seductive whisper.

She nearly yelped in surprise when she felt his fingers trail down her arm lightly, sending a tingle along her skin in the wake. "Is _that_ why you wanted a date so badly?" he asked back, his voice sinking to that low pitch again that made her skin feel warm.

Sakura was quick to draw back as her cheeks began to warm considerably. Damn it, she'd been so close and chickened out at the last second! Damn, damn, DAMN IT! "Why do you think I need a reason to ask you out?" she demanded, the irritation she felt toward herself coming through in her tone.

She caught the quiet edge of Kakashi's weary sigh before he said, "I didn't mean it exactly like that."

"Well, then, how _did_ you mean it?" she pressed, not letting go now that she had him.

"Sorry, but you asking me out on a date seems a little too random to be natural."

Shiiiiit! How did he know? Wait... how _could_ he know? There was no way he could know! He was just insanely accurate at reading the situation. But she couldn't let on to that. Thankful once again that the lights were out, Sakura managed a pleasant enough tone as she said, "It's okay. I guess I kinda see how you'd think that. Honestly, Kakashi, I just thought... I don't know. I guess I thought that since I was alone and lonely, maybe you were, too. And that... well... if we were together, we wouldn't be lonely anymore." She laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, does that sound stupid?" She hoped it didn't.

In a way, it was sort of the truth. It was why she had really tried to stay in contact with him over the course of two and a half years. He was the last tie to the happy days for her, when Team Seven was whole and complete and long before anything with Orochimaru came up. Kakashi was a constant in her ever changing world, which was partially why she was finding this so difficult. It felt too much like she was just using him, someone she considered part of her extended family, and that wasn't a good feeling at all.

She stiffened when he said softly, "No, I don't think that sounds stupid."

Sakura smiled at him in the dark as a blush settled to her cheeks again, one that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with how good his words made her feel. For some reason, she had a feeling that if she'd said that to anyone but Kakashi, they probably would have laughed her off. Kakashi hadn't ever done that, not even when she'd been his student. Sure, he'd joked around and poked fun at them, but he'd always listened to what they'd had to say.

Perhaps this wasn't going to be as difficult as she thought. Maybe, instead of taking it from the point of view that she was dating her former teacher, she should look at it as keeping a friend from being lonely... while stealing his books in the process. Actually, when she thought about it like that, it didn't sound so bad at all.

The dinner progressed without much further than some light banter and safe discussion topics. By the end of the meal, Sakura was stuffed and could honestly say that having dinner in the dark was an experience she would probably remember for a long time. After the dessert dishes had been cleared away (a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate that Kakashi said was making her purr, which she sooo was not!), the gong sounded again followed by the lights coming on at a low dim.

Sakura quickly glanced over at Kakashi in an attempt to see his face, but the Copy Ninja already had his mask perfectly in place. Her lips quirking in disappointment, Sakura stood up with him and followed him out of the dining room. She squinted when they left the dark hall and entered the reception area's much brighter lighting, standing next to him as he pulled some money from his pocket to pay for the bill. While she didn't catch the total amount of their dinner, she knew it was way more than she could have afforded. Either he kept a good stash on him or he'd just gotten paid for a mission. Chances were, it was the latter of the two.

They left the restaurant to find that the sky was now a thick, inky black studded over with a scattering of stars. The moon was at it's slimmest, barely putting off enough light for her to see him in the shadows cast by the buildings around them. Sakura smiled up at him as she rocked back on her heels, suddenly uncertain what to do right then. Kakashi stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets as if waiting for her to do or say something.

"Well... this was really fun," she said after a long pause. "Thank you. It really was an interesting experience, like you said."

His eye creased closed as he shrugged his shoulders. "I did promise you that at least."

"So... I guess this is goodnight?"

"Oh, so you know how to get home from here?" While the question was said innocently enough, the amused glint to his eye said he already knew the answer.

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed, holding her wrist with the opposite hand in front of her. "No, of course not," she laughed. "But, if you wanna give me directions, I can-,"

"I have a better idea," he interrupted as he reached out and pulled her hand free from her wrist.

No... NO! He was going to suggest going back to his place! Oh, God! Oh, GOD!

"Another reason why I like this place... it gives me an excuse to walk a date home." He gave her another happy look before taking her hand and guiding her back through the maze of streets.

Sakura stared up at his profile for a handful of seconds, her mind still reeling with relief that he hadn't said what she thought he was going to. Of course... there _was_ still the off chance that he'd try for a goodnight kiss... But she would worry about that when and if it came. Right then, she had to admit she genuinely had a good time on her 'date' with him. True, there were those couple times where she could have sworn he was acting like a pervert... but then again, whispering to someone _did_ leave room for breathing on their neck a little, so she couldn't technically say he did it intentionally. It was just more of a gut instinct than anything else.

And besides, wasn't that what she wanted? This whole thing was to make him sort of fall for her, right? So... if he wanted to breathe down her neck and hold her hand, then she'd let him. It was the surest way to get to those damned books!

"So... did I pass?" he asked after several minutes of walking down the now quieting streets of Konoha.

"Hmm?" she asked back, giving him a confused glance.

"Did I pass?" Kakashi repeated, his eye showing that he was laughing at her silently. "Do I get another go or not?"

Oh... he meant another date. Sakura's face screwed up into an expression of mock thoughtfulness, grinning when his visible eye rolled toward skyward as if asking the moon for patience in dealing with her. "Sure, why not? I mean, you weren't _that_ bad I suppose," she joked, her grin turning to a giggle as he gave an irritated grumble.

"So glad I managed to keep my subhuman tendencies at bay," he returned sarcastically.

"Yeah... you weren't too beastly. I think another date is in order. Oh... we're already back at the clinic? How'd we get here so fast?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and she was certain if his mask weren't covering his cheeks he would have been blushing as well. "Well... you see, Kuroppoi actually isn't too far from the clinic. It only felt longer because we'd gone out of our way to lose our tails. Plus, it's in an area not many people tend to know about since it's behind the more populated parts of the village. So, really, we didn't leave the main area too far behind."

Sakura shook her head in disbelief before carefully pulling her hand from his. "I guess _this_ would be goodbye then, since I know my way home from here."

"If you want it to be. There's always the off chance of you getting mugged or some really perverted guy hitting on you mercilessly..."

Laughing, she gave him a playful shove, which made his eyes crinkle closed in amusement. "I think I can handle a mugger, and I _know _I can deal with any perverts that come along."

"Then how about you walk me home? I'm terrified of the perverts."

She laughed again and shook her head while hugging her arms across her stomach. "Sorry, I don't buy it."

"Damn. Well, that's it from me. Seeing as I _don't_ have a good reason to walk you any further, I guess it's goodnight for real." He walked by her without so much as an attempt at a kiss or anything of the sort, waving over his shoulder as she pivoted around to watch him go. Wow... she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or insulted

"Hey, Kakashi!" she called, smirking as he turned around to face her. He kept moving though, walking backward so that he could still see her.

"What?" he called back.

"I thought you wanted a second date!"

"Oh, that... Ask me tomorrow!" And then... he was gone in a poof of smoke.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she shook her head, her lips pursing in annoyance. "Jerk," she muttered before heading off for her own apartment. It just figured he'd make her go through the same thing again just to get him on a date!

This time though... it would be under _her_ conditions, not his. Whatever those conditions were gonna be.

AUTHOR'S ASIDE: Well... I'm not really sure how this chapter turned out but I've done everything I can think of to make it as good as possible. Once again, please let me know if this was off at all for the characters. I'm only reading the scanlations of the manga, and I would HATE to enter a new fandom and commit character assassination. I'm also playing with a new writing style for this, so for those familiar with the usual nimblnymph writing style... hope it's working out for you.

Also, and this is in response to a review left on , I do want to assure everyone this is NOT going to be your typical Kakashi-has-mad-experience fic. Again, those that are familiar with my writing know that I love to take a standard plot concept and rework it... and that I've usually got a few aces up my sleeve to keep it interesting and unique. All I'm asking is patience for these first few chapters so that I can properly set up the plot and tone of the fic. I'd say around... chapter seven or eight (which will mean roughly that many weeks from now) things will start shaping out differently. So, please, bear with me for a little bit.

As always, thank you to everyone who read, whether you reviewed or not. It's truly touching that you even bothered with my fic at all. Thank you so much!


	3. Is She Really Going Out With Him?

Sakura's breath left her in a loud, "OOF!" when something heavy landed on top of her. That something refused to move, even when she tried working her elbow free from the blankets to settle it where she thought its gut would be. "Guh... Ino... dead... PIG! GET! OFF!"

Snickering, Ino got off of her and took a seat at the foot of her bed, grinning at the sleepy glare Sakura flashed at her while fumbling her way into a sitting position. This made two days in one week that her sleep had been interrupted. If this continued, there wouldn't be any room left to hide all the bodies. She glanced at her bedside table when the smell of freshly made rolls and tea caught her attention. A plate was waiting for her with two biscuits and steam was wafting up from the little porcelain cup. Well... if Ino kept making her breakfast, _maybe_ she'd let her live. Maybe.

"So," the blonde girl began in a tone that was far too chipper for morning use. "You were out pretty late last night."

"Mm-hm," Sakura answered noncommittally around a bite of biscuit. Heavenly... almost as good as that chocolate thing from last night. It was a damned good thing Ino could cook, because she was absolutely hopeless in a kitchen. Except for baking cookies. For some reason, she could make some pretty good cookies. But give her a piece of meat and some vegetables and she was bound to find a way to make them inedible.

Ino rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated groan. "Come ON, Sakura! I'm dying for details! How'd it go? Where'd he take you? God, _please_ tell me he didn't pull a fast one on the bill! Oh, and what's he look like without the mask? Or did you get so distracted by how good looking he was that you forgot, like Ami from Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Pfig, Ahm eedang," Sakura reprimanded around the biscuit in her mouth. Seriously, she had to learn what Ino's secret was for making those things! Was it the butter? Or the way she kneaded the dough? Whatever it was, they were absolutely amazing!

"SAKURA! I've been waiting all morning to hear about this and I've gotta go to the hospital soon. Tell meeeee!"

Sakura shook her head in defeat and washed down her first biscuit with some of the tea. "Fine, I'll tell you," she conceded, wincing when Ino let out an amazingly high pitched squeal. She waited until the other girl had settled down before relating everything about her date with Kakashi to her. From the moment they met up and everything that happened at Kuroppoi to the walk back to the main section of Konoha, all of it was discussed in great detail between them.

When Sakura was finished, Ino flopped back on the mattress and grinned up at the ceiling. "It's too bad you're doing this because Tsunade wants his _Icha Icha_ books," she mused. "It sounds like it was a lot of fun."

"It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be," Sakura admitted, hugging one of the many throw pillows on her bed to her chest. "I mean, it still felt a little awkward and all, but I think I could do it again if I had to."

"What about if you _don't_ have to? Would you do it just because it was a good date?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ino! Kakashi's too old for me."

Ino arched a brow as her lips curved into a slow smile. "So, it's just 'Kakashi' now, huh? What happened to 'sensei'?"

Sakura groaned a smacked a pillow down onto Ino's grinning face. "Grrr... I couldn't exactly call him sensei last night, could I? It just... carried over, that's all. You're reading way too much into this, Ino. This thing here, me dating Kakashi-sensei, is just business. Pure and simple."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Business. Let me tell _you_, Haruno Sakura, that 'business' doesn't have fun on dates. 'Business' doesn't get all flushed just remembering what it felt like to be _so close_ to his mouth."

"Stop it. I do _not_ get flushed," she muttered grumpily.

Ino laughed and pointed at her face. "Then why are you cheeks as pink as your hair?"

"They are not!"

"Oops... now they're even darker!"

"Pig, I'm warning you!" Sakura threatened as she pulled her fist back.

Ino held her hands up in defeat, her blue eyes sparkling brightly as she continued to giggle. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I'm done, I promise. At least one good thing came out of all this."

"What?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

Ino sat upright and smirked at her. "He did say he wanted a second date, right? So... that means you've gotten him interested."

Sakura blinked, pausing with the tea cup frozen half way to her mouth. She hadn't thought about that last night, but now... "Hey, that's right! He _did_ say he wanted another date, didn't he? Ino, I did it! I seduced Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hold up, Forehead! Don't get too far ahead of things here," Ino cautioned. "You've only been on _one_ date. That hardly constitutes seducing him. Now, for your next date, it's all up to you. He made that pretty obvious last night. So, you're gonna have to come up with something that you like to do. Something that opens him up to who _you_ are."

"But... shouldn't _he_ be opening up to _me_ and not the other way around?" Sakura asked. Seeing as he was the one being seduced, why should he have to know her?

Ino rolled her eyes and shook Sakura's feet underneath the covers. "Because, Forehead, you need to build a feeling of trust! Sure, Kakashi-sensei trusts you in a fight, but this is _personal_ now. He won't let you anywhere near those books if he doesn't trust you as more than a fellow ninja! So... open yourself up just a tiny bit.. You don't have to let him in totally, of course, but make sure it's enough to make him feel secure."

Sakura listened to her in awe, amazed at this profound side of Ino she hadn't known existed. "Wow, Ino... you're really good!" she complimented.

The blonde girl preened at the praise, flipping her hair back over her shoulder as she said, "Well, I _am _the one with the most experience, after all. So... what are you gonna do for your second date?"

"Ino, I just woke up! I haven't even had time to get over the _first_ date yet!"

"He did set a pretty high standard for a first date. There's no way you can afford anything like that." Ino's eyes drifted to the clock and widened in alarm. "Shit, I'm gonna be late! We'll talk more later, Sakura!"

Sakura yawned and made a shooing motion with her hand as she too looked at the alarm clock. She let out a shriek and literally rolled herself out of bed, sheets and all. Kicking herself free from the tangle of blankets around her ankle, Sakura ran frantically around her room, pulling on whatever clothing she happened to pull out of the chest of drawers first. Thankfully for her, most of her wardrobe was mix and match so it didn't really matter what she grabbed. A quick sprint to the bathroom and the most half assed brush job of her teeth ever was all she had time for before she was snatching up her medic bag and running out the door. She groaned loudly as she skidded to a halt in the hallway and doubled back to lock the door before rushing out the building and down the street.

She was tying her head protector in place in her hair as she approached the hospital. It was almost six o'clock! Why had Ino let her sleep in so late? She was late for her shift by almost two hours! Oh... Tsunade was gonna have her hide for this! Sakura stumbled through the clinic doors at almost a full sprint, ignoring the bewildered stares from the other medics as she skidded around the turn that led back to the prep area. As she entered the room, she slowed down to a brisk walk, breathing hard and keeping an eye open for anyone who might tattle to Tsunade on her before she was ready to confront the hotheaded blonde.

Her fingers were shaking as she opened the lock on her small cubby space and pulled out the green coat that all junior medic nins wore, throwing it on over her own clothing. Out of habit, she immediately checked her pockets to be certain she had paper, a writing instrument, a small roll of bandages and an energy bar. After being summoned by Tsunade far too many times before breakfast, she always made sure she kept something in her coat pocket. Satisfied that at least _that_ was right, Sakura jogged back out of the locker area, all the while keeping an eye out for Tsunade.

Sakura made her way into the intensive care ward, and forced a smile on her face as she approached the young woman filing papers at the front desk. "Good morning, Suki! Who's the first one on the list today?"

Suki, their incredibly meticulous daytime desk worker, blinked in surprise as she turned with a stack of charts in her arms. "Oh, hey, Sakura. What are you doing here so early?"

"Early?" the pink haired girl asked, just as confused as the other woman now. "I'm late. Oh, and can you tell me who covered for me so I can apologize to them in person?"

Setting her charts down, Suki grabbed the schedule book and leafed through it until she came to that day's roster. Silently, she flipped the book around and tapped the line she wanted Sakura to reference before returning to her chart sorting. Frowning, Sakura read the line she'd indicated... and immediately wanted to collapse on the ground.

Her schedule had been changed. She was the seven to three shift, not the four to one today. That's right... Tsunade had said she'd be working daytimes for the next six months in exchange for getting Kakashi's _Icha Icha Paradise_ off of him. "Craaaaap," she groaned, dropping her head down onto the desk.

She heard Suki laugh and felt the older woman pat her shoulder consolingly. "Tsunade-sama said you already knew about the schedule shift. I guess word didn't reach you after all?"

"No... it did. I'm just stupid and forgot all about it." Actually, it was more like she hadn't considered Tsunade would put it into effect so quickly.

"Well, I would normally suggest you bunk down for forty-five minutes in the dorm area, but since Shizune's out on a mission we're down a medic. Sooo... when you're done wallowing, I've got a genin in room three-oh-eight who thought he could fly after a friend decided to practice a genjutsu on him. Poor kid shattered both his legs."

Sakura, head still on the desk top, stuck her hand out for the chart. When she felt the weight of it settle on her palm, she picked her head up and began reading through the initial impression notes made by the receiving medic. Bone reconstruction was a very tricky thing to do. It took a lot of chakra and a lot of time to make sure everything was knitted accordingly. Afterward, the person wouldn't be able to use that limb for at least another two weeks to ensure that any minute fractions left after the chakra healing didn't widen into another break. From what she could tell, it looked like the breaks were clean, no spiderwebbing from the impact point that could create bone shards splintering off. And whoever had received the genin had been very kind by numbing the nerves in the patient's legs to keep him from being in too much pain.

Sighing wearily, Sakura trudged off in preparation for another busy day at the hospital. Oh... and she'd have to try and come up with a non-lame second date. Greeeeeat.

* * *

Kakashi didn't even bother looking up as two figures dropped down silently onto the rooftop next to him. He'd felt them coming almost a mile away and guessed that he was their target. Acknowledging them with a quick wave, he continued reading _Icha Icha_ while the intruders on his rooftop sanctuary hedged him in on either side. He didn't know for certain why they were there, but he could take a guess that it concerned his plans yesterday evening.

"He's still reading _Icha Icha_, which answers the question of whether or not she went home with him," Genma joked as he stretched out flat on his back next to Kakashi. Gai continued to stand with his arms folded in front of his chest, frowning down at the man reading between them.

"How so?" Kakashi asked, only mildly curious as to the other man's reasoning.

Grinning and wiggling his senbon between his teeth in a suggestive fashion that most others would have done with their eyebrows, the brown haired jounin answered, "Because you wouldn't need porn if you'd just gotten laid."

"Hmm... Not entirely true. The sex could have been awful."

Genma laughed and dropped his arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight burning down from above. "How can you sit out here all the time? I just got here and I feel like I'm melting!"

"Melt more quietly."

"Heartless, that's what you are. Well, seeing as you won't listen any other way..."

Kakashi's eye widened in horror when his book was suddenly snatched from his hand by... Gai? He arched a brow up at his 'rival' and said in an even, steady tone, "You really don't want to do anything rash now, Gai. Not unless you want to be Konoha's _Blue_ Beast."

Smirking, Gai was very careful about marking Kakashi's place, but with the way he closed the book it was obvious he had no intention of giving it back quite yet. "I need to have a word with you, from one man to another," the green clad man insisted. The somber expression on his face didn't bode well at all.

"Okaaay," Kakashi said slowly, standing up and twisting his neck to ease the cramp that had formed from reading all morning. He didn't want to be caught off guard in case this was a rematch. "Is this about our last showdown? Because I still refuse to say something so ridiculous."

He'd 'lost' the last competition between them, and because of that Gai had given him the choice of acknowledging his superior fashion sense... or picking up his dry cleaning for the rest of the year. Hmm, decisions, decisions... Fortunately, the decision was made easy by the fact that the dry cleaning place was on his way home each evening. So, really, it wasn't too much of a hassle to grab Gai's freshly steam-washed suits, jam them into an inconspicuous bag so no one would see him carrying them and deliver them the next day.

Would it have been easier just to announce that Gai was a better dresser than he was? Yes... but there was no way in heaven or in hell he'd ever acknowledge those one piece monstrosities as being 'fashionable'

Gai jabbed a finger in Kakashi's direction and proclaimed as if he wanted all of Konoha to hear him, "This is the epitome of fighting fashion! The flexibility! The close fit! It's the next best thing to fighting naked!"

"God... bad image," Genma groaned. "I'm gonna stare at the sun now to burn it outta my eyes."

Kakashi had half a heart to join him on that. Gai... fighting naked... Not cool. Not cool at all. Sighing, Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and said, "You still haven't convinced me on that. Plus... I hate green."

If Gai's mouth were opened any wider, his jaw would have fallen out socket. "Green... is a color of pride! Of strength! Green is the color of newly opened leaves, the time of year when Konoha is in the spring of its beauty and youth!" he argued, his voice rising with his passionate display.

"Yeah, it doesn't look good on me. But did you really interrupt my reading just to discuss your fashion choices?" He had a guess as to the real reason for their invasion on his rooftop and, though typically he wouldn't have brought it up a tall, he thought it best to just attack the subject head on so he could get his book back. All he really cared about at that point was making certain _Icha Icha Paradise_ didn't suffer any damage.

Immediately assuming a posture of challenge (chest out, thick brows furrowing almost together and pointing dramatically while flashing that million dollar grin), Gai stated formally, "I have come to discuss your intentions for the young woman you dined with last night!"

Kakashi's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. He cast a sidelong glance at Genma as the other man began to snicker. So... Genma had gone and shot off at the mouth about that. How that guy was ever given confidential information was beyond him. "My intentions?" he repeated while running over the different scenarios through which to make Genma suffer.

"Yes. Your intentions."

"For Sakura?"

"Haruno Sakura, the Hokage's apprentice and the delicate blossom of-"

Genma let out a surprised burst of laughter and briefly removed his arm from his face to look at their eccentric associate. "Delicate blossom? Where the hell do you get this stuff from?"

Gai frowned at Genma's comment but maintained firm eye contact with Kakashi in the process. "That isn't important right now! What matters are my rivals intentions toward her!"

Kakashi ran a hand back through his hair as a slow, controlled breath left his lungs that bordered very close on being a sigh. All he'd wanted was to sit back and enjoy his book. It really wasn't such an extraordinary thing to ask, or at least he'd thought so. Apparently, fate felt otherwise. "Why are my intentions toward Sakura your concern, Gai? Are _you _planning to ask her out?"

"Ha ha! Fortunately for you, my affections don't reside with her," Gai replied with a wide flash of his smile. "However... it seems you have a new rival to contend with now. A rival in love!"

"Oh?" For now, Kakashi wouldn't bother correcting the love portion of Gai's statement. It was usually best to go through things one at a time with the man anyway.

"That's right! My number one student, Rock Lee, has had his eye on the beautiful kunoichi since first seeing her! Are you prepared to deal with the fury of a love-struck youth?"

Kakashi once again glanced at Genma and caught the other man's amused smirk that was just visible underneath his arm. Genma had known all along about Gai's planned confrontation. Retribution would be too kind. It looked like he'd actually have to kill him now. "Well... he's welcomed to date Sakura too if he wants, and if she's willing. I have no objections to that."

Gai's face shifted into one of horror shortly before Kakashi found his shoulders being gripped so hard he knew there would be bruising later in the shape of the other man's fingers. "What? Does she mean so little to you then that you won't even fight for her? Or is it that you're intimidated by Lee's incredible skill? I will admit, the boy is remarkably hardworking... but have no fear, my rival, he hasn't quite reached the level of his master yet!"

Kakashi grabbed Gai's wrists and had to strain as he pried the other man's hands free from his shoulders. "Thanks for the reassurance. But the answer is none of the above."

Genma snorted and pushed into a half sitting position as he squinted to keep the sun from getting into his eyes too badly. "I told you, Gai, didn't I?" he stated, the senbon in his mouth catching the light as he twirled it between his teeth. "This is strictly a reconnaissance mission. Lee's not gonna get a competition outta Kakashi over this."

Something close to disappointment flashed across the spandex wearing shinobi's face as he stepped away from his rival. Kakashi waited patiently while the other man looked him over from head to toe as if sizing him up for a new suit. Probably a one piece spandex number that would quickly find its way to the back of his closet... with ten of its equally awful cousins. It had become a tradition for Gai to wrap Kakashi's birthday present in a spandex unitard. In return, Kakashi always wrapped Gai's presents in at least three layers of pages torn from pornography magazines. Fair was fair, after all.

Finally, the taijutsu expert let out a low, vaguely evil sounding laugh as he handed _Icha Icha Paradise_ back to its rightful (and very relieved) owner. "I'll let this stand for now, Kakashi. But be prepared to face the onslaught of a young man in love!"

"Point taken," Kakashi answered, a relieved sigh sneaking out as he fingered the bright orange cover carefully for any tears or possible stresses due to handling by someone other than himself. Satisfied that it was just as pristine as when it had been taken, he tucked it at his back again and sat down next to Genma. Gai took a seat on his other side with a happy look about him. It seemed he was satisfied with their, uh... discussion.

"So... you're hiding from the Hokage, I take it?" Kakashi asked Genma, trying to change the subject as subtly as possible.

Grinning, Genma's brown eyes flickered with wicked amusement as he replied, "Yep. That old hag seems to think that because Shizune works for her, so do I."

"Technically, you do." Gai added a small hum of agreement to Kakashi's response.

Shrugging, Genma removed the senbon from his mouth and began twirling it between his fingertips idly, watching as the light flickered and flashed off the metal with each turn. "Yeah... but I don't do paperwork. I don't fetch her booze. I'm a goddamn jounin, not an errand boy!" He shook his head irritably. "No wonder Shizune gets in those 'I have to get away _now_' moods. I'd be feeling the need to kill something working for her, too!"

Kakashi chuckled and patted the other man on the shoulder consolingly. "You'd make a terrible errand boy, Genma. I don't think you need to worry about being reassigned."

"Cute, Hatake. Speaking of cute though... how was your date?" He snickered at the slightly annoyed twitch to Kakashi's brow. Usually, it took a lot more effort on his part to get that sort of response from the silver haired man. Then again, he'd never had such fun ammunition to work with before.

"I thought you said it was a reconnaissance mission," Gai interjected sharply, causing Genma to sit up enough to look his way and Kakashi to groan softly before pulling his book out and very pointedly opening it so that he couldn't see either of them.

"Date, reconnaissance mission... same thing, really." Genma waved his hand as if to brush off the fact that there _was_ a difference between the two. Gai, though he didn't look fully convinced of the fact, accepted it without much more than a narrow eyed glance. "Did you find out what she was after?"

"Mm... not quite, but I know it's got to be one of two things," Kakashi confirmed.

"Oh? Do enlighten us."

"She's either trying to get me to remove my mask... or she's after _Icha Icha Paradise_."

Both Gai and Genma stared at him, the first in shock and the other in amusement. "The girl... the keeper of Lee's heart... is reading _that book?_" Gai demanded in a horror stricken voice. His eyes closed and what looked suspiciously like a tear slid down his cheek. "Ooh, Lee... "

Genma slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned heavily at Gai's misunderstanding. Shaking his head as if to clear it, the brown haired man ignored Gai completely as he continued speaking. "How did you figure that out so quickly?"

"Well, the first is fairly obvious. Everyone and their cousin keeps trying to see underneath the mask," Kakashi began while Gai continued to bemoan the fact that his prized student was in love with a 'woman in the full bloom of her fiery passion'. "So... I took her to Kuroppoi."

"Kuroppoi? Is that the place that makes you pay to eat in the dark?"

"Uh-huh. The plan was to spring that little surprise on her and gauge her reaction. Sakura is a very talented medic and has progressed marvelously in the various jutsus as well... but she's not the most subtle creature when it comes to things like this. If her plan wasn't working out as she'd hoped, it would have been obvious."

Genma nodded thoughtfully, his narrowed gaze slipping off to the side slightly. "And you don't think that's changed at all after training with Tsunade all this time?"

Kakashi laughed under his breath and shook his head. "Tsunade's even worse than Sakura when it comes to a good poker face. Why do you think she loses all those bets?"

"Huh. Good point. Okay, so you took her there to test her reaction. Well played, Hatake. What was the outcome?"

Kakashi's response was a smirk as he flipped the page in his book. He had absolutely no intention of sharing any further information about his 'date', especially not with those two. After all, this was sort of bordering into his private life. It didn't matter that there were external reasons for him accepting her invitation to dinner. Last night was still a date, and it involved someone he was rather fond of in a platonic sense. There was no need for anyone but himself and Sakura to know the exact details.

Genma waited for several long seconds for some sort of response, the senbon clicking a little as he twirled it in growing agitation between his teeth. Kakashi continued reading, flipping the pages whenever necessary, and ignoring him. Finally, the brown haired jounin gave an irritated groan and said, "You're seriously not gonna answer that?

"Nope."

"Fine... it's not like I give a damn anyway."

Kakashi smiled and laughed under his breath. "Good to know. Shizune's not back yet, is she?"

"Hmm? No... not yet. Raidou was sent out to meet up with them," muttered Genma dismally. It was part of the reason why he wasn't too happy with the Hokage at that moment. He'd requested to be sent to meet the team himself... and Tsunade had denied him. The only reason he could think of for denying his request was because he'd refused to run across town and get her a special bottle of sake. If he'd done that, Shizune would have had his ass in grass faster than he could apologize. So... he was screwed either way. He hated that!

"Ah. That explains why you're so annoying right now. You're bored," Kakashi commented, grinning as the other man scowled at him.

"He's not annoying," Gai interjected with a gentle, knowing smile on his face. "He's pining away right now. Have no fear, Genma! She _will_ return to you!" He understood too well the pains of missing that special someone. It was unfortunately one of the drawbacks of being in love.

"First of all," Genma replied, pinning Gai with a mild glare. "I do _not_ pine. Second of all, I already know she's coming back, so I'm not at all worried about that. It's... other things."

Kakashi chuckled and peered over the edge of his book as Genma shifted uncomfortably. "Sucks when your private life is dissected, doesn't it?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"But it's understandable that you- Oo!" Gai suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech, his thick brows pulling down closer to his eyes and giving him the look of someone who had been just stumbled across the solution to a problem they had abandoned as being hopeless. "That's it! Yes... that's perfect." Both of the other men blinked and stared at him in confusion, unsure what exactly was 'perfect'.

Without explaining anything further, the man jumped to his feet and over the side of the building. Both Genma and Kakashi leaned forward to watch as he landed on the balcony three floors below, startling some poor woman into screaming, before finishing his descent to the street level and taking off in a green blur of movement.

"Okaaay," Genma drawled, his frown causing his senbon to droop closer to his chest. "Gai's... weird."

Kakashi's breath left him in a low, quiet rush. "You have no idea. But, that's why he's as good as he is. No one, not even his friends, can understand him sometimes."

Snorting, Genma's lips spread into a little smile. "I always wondered how your little rivalry matches always remained so close," he murmured. "You can't get a read on the guy, can you?"

"Nope. His brain works too fast."

"Yeah, like a hyperactive monkey's."

Chuckling, Kakashi pushed to his feet and said, "No, no. The title of 'hyperactive monkey' will always be Naruto's. Gai's mind is more like an army of hyperactive hamsters running in several different wheels at the same time. And yet, somehow all those hamsters make it work."

Genma laughed and watched Kakashi stretch his back before he began walking toward the edge of the roof. "So, what's the plan? Same as before?"

"Pretty much. Is that a problem?"

"With me? I could honestly care less. But Shizune... she'll have some words about it, I'm sure."

"I'm sure she will. However, unless you want to run around blue again..." There was no need to finish the threat. Genma's mocking salute said he understood it perfectly.

"I still, to this day, have no idea what the hell you did to me, you know," Genma commented as Kakashi paused at the edge of the rooftop.

"Don't go telling Shizune that either. She might get jealous," Kakashi tossed back, smirking over his shoulder as Genma took the lazy approach to responding by flicking him off. Laughing as the other man grumbled under his breath, he jumped over the side of the building and bypassed the balcony Gai had invaded entirely. He landed on the street, easily channeling his chakra to his feet to absorb the impact from jumping six floors to the ground.

Smiling at the kids whose game he'd interrupted by his sudden drop, he pulled out his book and began to slowly walk back to the jounin compound to do a little work. Hmm... today, he had to finish that mission report for Tsunade, check to see if his name was on a mission roster and if so probably see about meeting up with whoever was on his team to discuss the assigned mission, follow up with the equipment department to see if they'd managed to fix his ANBU gear after the last mission and then meet up with Asuma for a sparring match. Oh, and he had to find time for his own training routine.

Despite what his former students believed, he really wasn't all that lazy. They just never saw what he did _after_ teaching them. If at times it had looked like he was bored or disinterested... well, he was. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ his Team Seven. It was just that it was yet another thing he had to get done in his day. There was no reprieve from paperwork and personal training for team leaders, that was for sure.

It was because of his typically hectic schedule that he'd learned how to read and walk at the same time. Well, that and he enjoyed the horrified looks on parents' faces whenever they caught site of the restriction label printed in bold on the book cover. Yes, cover the eyes of the little ones and hope like hell they don't become genin under his supervision. The idea of sending a failed class back home with nothing learned except that their teacher read _Icha Icha _the entire time made him smile.

Of course... there _was_ the off chance that another genin team might pass. Hopefully, his Team Seven students hadn't started a trend. Or passed on the secret of the bell exercise to any future genin. Hmm... after years of using those bells, he might actually have to mix it up the next time around.

As he approached the building, a few people that recognized him called out as he passed, prompting him to wave in their direction or, if he knew them well enough, reply while not stopping to talk further. He entered as a group of laughing kunoichi pushed by him, his nose wrinkling as it caught some perfume that was waaaay too strong. A quick glance over his shoulder made him shake his head irritably. Not only was she wearing perfume but she was wearing her flak vest as well. With the way some ninjas could sniff things out (himself included), wearing _any _mission gear with such a specific smell was just plain stupid.

Kakashi wandered up to the main reception desk and leaned casually against it to wait. It wasn't that there was a line of jounin or anything waiting to collect the messages in their mail slots. It was more that the jounin manning the desk was Anko, and Anko would do things when she felt like doing them.

Anko had her sandaled feet propped on the desk top as she slouched back in the chair with a magazine of one kind or another propped up to block her view of anyone approaching. So... this was how Tsunade was punishing her, was it? He hadn't heard all the details, but apparently Anko and the Hokage had gotten into a pretty intense argument just a few days back. After five hours of screaming, cussing, and throwing things (both of them participated in this, from what he'd heard), Anko had sent Tsunade's favorite chair through the window before storming off.

"What do you want, Hatake?" the irritated woman demanded, peeking over the top edge of her magazine to level a glare at him.

"Nice to see you, too, Anko," Kakashi answered, not once bothering to lower his own reading material. "I just came to get my mail."

Grumbling, Anko swung her legs down and slapped the magazine onto the desk top, making certain it was marked with the page she'd left off on. She stomped over to the wall behind the desk that housed rows of boxes with the names of their owners taped to the lower edge. No one had a permanent label on their mail box. After all, no one ever really knew when a mission might make receiving mail irrelevant.

Kakashi held his hand out expectantly as Anko returned with a small stack of notes and a scroll for him. When the newly made receptionist proceeded to sort through his mail without handing it to him, Kakashi finally lowered his book to give her a mildly annoyed glance. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I'm organizing this stuff for you," Anko shot back. "You don't seem like the typa guy to organize his mail."

"I'm not, and I'm surprised you are."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" she snarled angrily, causing a few people to look their way.

"Nothing, just said you don't seem like the type of person to organize their mail either. Can I please have mine? _Without_ the added service?"

Anko's dark eyes snapped fiercely at him as she purposely ignored his extended hand and slapped the mail onto the counter top. Putting on a blatantly false smile, she added mockingly, "Have a nice day, sempai!" The cheerful facade was quickly replaced with a dramatic eye roll as the irate kunoichi flopped back into her chair and resumed reading her magazine.

Ignoring her antics, Kakashi closed his book once again and picked up his mail, muttering a thanks as he proceeded to the large mission board on the other side of the reception desk to check the mission rosters. The rosters were just listing who was on active duty for the next week and who wasn't. It made planning life and social activities easier knowing roughly when to expect a mission assignment and when not to. The rosters also broke down those on active duty as to the rank assignments they would be expected to fill should the need arise. Occasionally, the roster was completely ignored and specific ninja were chosen depending on the mission requirements and availability. But other than that, the system was pretty structured.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one checking for missions either. A whole mess of people were there, actually. Really short people who were staring at him with round eyes and mouths hanging open in awe. What... were the Academy students doing at the jounin mission board? It took a second glance over the group before he noticed the reason why.

Iruka was standing in front of the class and was pointing at the board as if to show it off. From the looks of things, he'd decided to take his class on a field trip to the jounin facility. The guy was trying very hard to get the attention of his class again, but it was a failing effort. The kids were still busy staring at Kakashi. Shoulders slumping and head hanging as he realized it was an effort in futility, Iruka walked over to Kakashi and muttered, "Did you _have_ to check the roster now?"

"How was I supposed to know you'd be taking your class here today?" Kakashi muttered back, fidgeting a little under all the close scrutiny. Why were they still staring at him? Had Genma hit him with some weird jutsu that he hadn't noticed?

"Well, your timing, as always, is lousy, Kakashi. There was a small dicussion regarding you during class today."

Oh... that explained all the gaping. And it was a little flattering in a way that he was the topic of discussion for an Academy class... he supposed. Putting on a cheerful expression, Kakashi waved at the kids and said, "Yo!" Which, awkwardly enough, was met with stone cold silence. Tough crowd, this group.

Sighing, Iruka rubbed his eyes wearily before turning back to his class and speaking loud enough to be heard, "Okay, kids. As you've probably figured out, this is Hatake Kakashi, the ninja we were talking about earlier. Kakashi-san needs to get through here to check the mission board, just like any responsible jounin should do, so if you guys could just-, Yes, Amiko?"

The little boy whose hand had shot up from near the back grinned at being called on. His wide, dark eyes gleaming eagerly, he shouted back, "Kakashi-san, do you like ice cream?" A couple of the boys nearest him snickered, which instantly stripped the joy right off his face. Obviously, his peers thought it was a pretty stupid thing to ask.

Kakashi sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets. Great... He really didn't want to do a question and answer session, but what could he do about it? "You owe me, Iruka," he muttered before assuming a happy face once again and saying loud enough to answer the kid, "Yep. Who doesn't?"

That set the kids to buzzing excitedly while the boy in back beamed at his slack jawed tormentors. Iruka shot him a grateful smile before clapping his hands to regain attention to him. "So, like I was saying, kids, we need to- yes, Amiko?" It was obvious Iruka had to deal with playing twenty questions with that boy on a regular basis by the worn out look on his face. Yet another reason why Kakashi had asked to be put back into active duty. He was a patient guy, but even he had his limits.

The boy's grin looked fit to split his head in half as he asked, "What's your favorite flavor?"

It was at that time that Kakashi looked past the group of kids and caught sight of familiar pale pink hair and laughing green eyes. Sakura was leaning against the corner of the mission board behind the kids and looked ready to burst out laughing at any minute. So, she thought it was funny that he was stuck answering questions about ice cream? Well... he'd fix that right quick.

Holding her gaze the entire time, he answered, "Cherry flavored." It took every scrap of self control not to start laughing when surprise replaced the amusement on her face, followed quickly by a blush so red it rivaled her shirt. The task of making Sakura blush had always been pretty easy before, but now that she was trying to seduce him... it was almost shamelessly easy.

Following his line of sight, Iruka's eyes widened as the meaning of Kakashi's answer sank in. "Right, time to move on, class. Kakashi-san is a very busy man and we're holding him up. Let's go this way, and, Aya, if I catch you making any more hand seals during class you're going to be staying after to clean up the study rooms. All of them!"

As the class slowly moved off, Kakashi approached Sakura, who was busy staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen in her entire life. "Hey, there," he said, leaning against the wall casually, and much closer than he knew she was completely comfortable with. Watching her fight not to fidget while the blush burned a path down her throat was turning into one of his new favorite hobbies.

"I-I didn't know you were busy," Sakura said nervously, her hand rubbing over her arm as if she were cold.

"Oh, that? Actually, that was unplanned. I just came to check the mission roster and got ambushed by Iruka and his class. So, what's up?" He folded his arms across his chest on purpose, knowing the movement would draw her attention upward. Sure enough, it worked and let him catch a flicker of anxiety in her bright green eyes before she managed to swallow most of it down. He couldn't help the little twist that came to his lips as he watched her try for an expression that was more flirtatious than uneasy.

Sakura managed a small smile, one that just barely made it to her eyes. "I was actually just gonna drop this off in your mail box, but Anko-san said you were checking the mission board so I... here."

Kakashi took the slip of paper from her hand, purposely allowing his fingers to brush against hers in the process. Pretending he didn't see the flare of red to her cheeks, he unfolded the little slip and read the message scrawled in neat, precise characters to himself.

"You said you wanted me to ask you today, but I wasn't sure if you were busy or not. I know leaving a note asking you out is kinda... well, silly, but I didn't want to bother you if you were tied up. But, if you still want to and you're available tomorrow night... do you wanna go out again?"

He folded the paper up and tucked it into the pocket of his pants, keeping what she could see of his face carefully blank. Sakura was chewing her lower lip, a habit he'd seen her do a thousand times before that meant she was second guessing the wisdom of her actions. Slowly, the pink tint to her cheeks began to grow darker and darker, spreading up toward her hair line and down her jaw as he watched. It really was proving to be good amusement for him to embarrass her!

Finally, he chuckled and said, "Sorry, I couldn't help making you sweat a bit. Yeah, tomorrow sounds fine as far as I know. I haven't actually checked the rosters yet, so..."

"Oh! Oh, sorry! I thought you already... Well, I guess you never really had the chance to check, seeing as you were attacked by a class of pre-genin," she stammered quickly. "Umm... if you wanna take a rain check or something, that's-,"

Kakashi shook his head and pushed away from the message board. "Nonsense. It'll only take a second to check." Crooking a finger in her direction to indicate he wanted her to follow him, Kakashi moved to the other end of the board with her following hesitantly behind him. When he reached the other end, he scanned the wall for the Unassigned List. It was easier to check that first than go through every single Assigned List to find out if he was off. Running a finger down the small list of names, Kakashi paused when he found his and tapped it, grinning as he said, "Tomorrow's okay. What did you have in mind?"

Sakura smiled coyly at him and said, "It's a secret. Date instructions are on the back of that paper."

Before he could so much as comment on that, she'd turned around and begun to walk off. Kakashi arched a brow and gave a surprised laugh under his breath. Well... that little bit of playfulness was certainly unexpected! It seemed Sakura had a flirty streak that was just itching to come out. How fun!

Still smiling under the mask, Kakashi pulled the piece of paper back out and unfolded it again before flipping it over to read the 'date instructions'... before frowning as he read them again.

_Training ground three at six-thirty. And wear something you can get dirty in._

Training ground... wear something he could... What in the world was this girl up to? Returning the paper to his pocket, Kakashi said quietly to himself, "Well... only one way to find out."

* * *

It was no secret that Rock Lee and Maito Gai had a very unique and close bond for a student and teacher. At times, it seemed as if the two spoke a language only they could understand. It was the type of understanding that almost transcended into the eerie, especially when all Gai had to do was _look_ at Lee and the boy would know exactly what was meant.

This time, however... Lee had no idea what his beloved idol was talking about. The boy simply stared up at his beaming mentor with round eyes and tightly pursed lips, trying desperately to piece together what Gai was getting at. It made his eyes burn with the beginnings of tears that he wasn't able to follow along with the older man for once. Was the maturity of his approaching adulthood really changing him so much? He hadn't noticed it himself... but perhaps it was. Oh, no! What if it extended even further than this conversation? To lose his close and very dear bond with Gai-sensei would be... would be...

Gai's shoulders curved forward slightly as he took in the bright eyes and faintly trembling lips of his best student. Lee... wasn't getting it. Perhaps he hadn't been clear enough in his eagerness to share his news. Or, more tragically, perhaps his ability to connect and communicate fluently with the youth of Konoha was fading. It sent a pang through his heart to think that he quite possibly was losing touch with even Lee, but it was to be expected he supposed. The bud of youth always had to flower into the bloom of adulthood, and Lee was no exception to this.

"I'm sorry, Gai-sensei, but I don't...," Lee began, a fine tremor still managing to show through his voice despite his efforts to control it. He couldn't help it though. It was breaking his heart that he had somehow allowed maturity to cause a fracture in their bond.

Clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder, Gai held back his own tears as he said softly, "No, Lee. It is I who must apologize. My ability to transcend the language of youth is... slipping."

"Never, Gai-sensei!"

"No, no... it was bound to happen someday-,"

"But it's my fault, sensei! Mine! It's because of my own maturing that this happened!"

Gai smiled sadly and blinked as a proud tear got caught in his lower lashes. Lee was, quite simply, one heck of a guy. He would never have a student quite as amazing as Rock Lee again, he was certain of it. Even now, the caring boy was trying to spare him the pain of knowing he was reaching that age where youth no longer looked upon him as being 'cool' or 'hip'. Yes... Lee was a man and a mighty fine one at that.

That was why Gai had devised this brilliantly clever plan. Lee was a man now, one that deserved to honor and cherish the woman he desired. It was a cruel fate indeed that the young man's affection had fallen upon the same delicate blossom his rival's had. Ahhh... To think that now, even with the gap in their ability to communicate forming, they would now share the same rivalry with Hatake Kakashi. Well, the Copy Ninja _had_ said that Lee was welcomed to woo her as well. It was the first challenge issued to a new generation of rivalry!

"Let's try this again, Lee," Gai said as he settled his free hand on the shorter man's other shoulder and gazed eye-to-eye. "If you were to honor a woman in this village with your entire affection, who would it be?"

"Um... G-Gai-sensei?" Lee asked, confusion making his eyebrows furrow tightly. Why was Gai-sensei asking about Haruno Sakura?

"Me? Well... though it is flattering you still find me possessing the beauty of youth, I _did_ say woman," the older man chuckled, completely unaware that he had misunderstood his young student.

A quick smile flickered over the younger man's face at his sensei's obvious joke. "Who would I... Sakura-san. Haruno Sakura."

Gai beamed, sniffling as subtly as he could to maintain his composure. If only the pink haired kunoichi knew the incredible depth of Lee's adoration for her. To admit so freely that he loved her spoke of a type of strength no amount of genius or hard work could ever come close to capturing. And now, with Gai's careful guidance, Lee would finally be able to share those feelings with her!

"If that is how you feel for her... you _must_ fight for her! Right now, her young heart is being pursued by my own rival. Are you ready to stand up to him to win her love?"

Lee's eyebrows scrunched over his eyes, his fists curling into resolute fists at his sides. A look of sheer determination, a drive to succeed, filled his eyes as he gave one decisive nod of his head. "Yes! For Sakura-san, I will even face your rival, Gai-sensei!"

Nodding and satisfied with Lee's resolve, Gai draped an arm over the young man's shoulders and said, "Good. Because I happen to know the one thing that will assure your victory in this battle of love."

"What is it, Gai-sensei? What do I need to do? Should I hang upside down outside the Hokage's window for three days? Should I do an extra thousand push ups every day? Tell me what I need to do!"

Smirking and gazing out over the setting sun with his best student by his side, Gai declared, "You... must obtain a copy of Hatake Kakashi's _Icha Icha Paradise_ to present to your chosen one as a token of your never ending love!" This was the plan that had suddenly occurred to him on the rooftop, and it was all thanks to his rival. There was a fifty-fifty chance that the book was what Lee's love interest wanted. The odds were favorable, and if Lee could obtain the book off of Kakashi through a battle for her heart... she would have no choice but to notice Lee's amazing qualities!

"Yes! Yes, I'll do it! I'll... huh?" Lee gaped up at his mentor in hopes he'd misunderstood him again. This time, however, he could tell from Gai;s narrowed eyes and eager little smile that he hadn't. But... how did that make any sense? How was getting a book (especially a perverted books) going to show Sakura that he loved her? Still, this was Maito Gai, a man he would trust with his very life without a moment's hesitation. If he said it was necessary... then it was. And he _would_ do it!


	4. Neutral Ground

There was sunlight in the sky as Shizune and her team finally returned home from their mission. It was cold and grey, the type of light that came just before sunrise flashed brilliant sorbet colors across the sky. She stifled a yawn as her feet continued their slow trudge down the street, lifting her hand wearily in a goodbye gesture as Raidou grunted the same.

It had been a nice surprise when he'd met up with them a day away from reaching Konoha to help escort them back. He was helping Teisan, a newly promoted jounin who had accidentally twisted his ankle through a misstep just the day before, walk toward the medical facility. The steady, even sounds of Raidou's step combined with the uneven limp of Teisan made an interesting rhythm to her ears, like a drummer who...

Goodness, was she tired! She tended to get a little weird with the metaphors and poetic licensing when she was at the point of utter exhaustion. Fortunately, Genma wasn't there. For some reason, that man made a babbler out of her. She would have shared her thoughts about sunrise looking like raspberry ice cream and he would have said something about that time he blew so hard on her belly that she nearly wet herself from laughing, which in turn would...

Apparently, she didn't need him there to make her babble. Just thinking about him provoked the tendency. And it was _really_ odd to her that he could make her do that, especially when her conversations with most other people would have been stinted and... well, awkward. Oh, it wasn't that she couldn't make friends or socialize! It was more accurate to say that most others would have given her a weird look had she shared her thoughts concerning the colors of the morning sky.

Raidou typically ignored her random associations. He had always been the serious one back when they were on the same genin team. His responses were either grunts, as few words as were necessary or a quirked eyebrow and perhaps a twitch of his lips. His quiet nature always seemed to get worse when he was as tired as she was, which was why she was a little surprised she'd even gotten a grunt from him.

The last two members of her team each mumbled a goodbye to her as well before peeling off for their own homes. This had been the first mission she'd ever worked with either of them, so it had been an interesting trip to say the least. Nearly three weeks away from home on an A-ranked mission to track down some missing nins who'd turned to robbery and murder... at least no one had been seriously hurt. One of the new ones, a boy named Shikamaru, had been especially useful. She would have to make certain that Tsunade-sama assigned him to missions requiring a leadership role in the future.

Shizune groaned as her aching, worn out legs began the torturous climb up the uneven steps to the apartment complex. They'd all known that pushing it so hard on the last day of travel would be a bad idea, but they'd all wanted to just go home so badly. The Hidden Mist village was always so muggy this time of year, the air so thick and cloying on the lungs that it made breathing difficult. When the sun was hot enough, one could see vapors from the steaming pools of water everywhere rising up to shroud the world in a blanket of fog so thick it made trying to see one's hand seem pointless.

She pushed the outer door to the building open, her eyes barely half open as she paused at the bottom of the steps leading upward. The apartment complex was four stories high. Guess which floor Genma's apartment was on? Of course, considering that she hadn't had a place to stay when she'd first returned to Konoha with Tsunade-sama, she really shouldn't complain about four flights of steps. But... she was tired and 'shouldn't' didn't mean 'couldn't'.

It had been Genma's idea that she move in with him, though the arrangement had been strictly platonic at first. When he'd found out that she'd basically been using whatever empty room was at the clinic (sometimes even sleeping outside the Hokage's office when there wasn't) for the first three months that she'd returned, he'd slapped Raidou on the side of his head for not saying anything sooner and immediately gone out to make a spare key for her.

Raidou hadn't been too happy with getting slapped and had made it a point to remind Genma that a) he hadn't known she'd been crashing wherever there was a spare hospital bed either, and b) he had five other jounin living in his two bedroom apartment. Adding another would have been impossible.

So... she'd become Genma's roommate. Genma had lived in the same apartment since he'd moved out at the age of fifteen. According to him, the landlady had simply given him the place as his own a couple years back, claiming that he'd paid enough rent on it to consider it his own anyway. According to Hatake Kakashi who lived directly below him, the apartment had been a bribe for Genma to stop rerouting all the hot water in the building to his shower. The complaints from the other tenants had driven the poor old woman nearly mad. Somehow, Shizune was more inclined to believe the Copy Ninja over her mischievous lover. But no proof had ever been uncovered to confirm Genma had been the one responsible for it. All she knew was that his hot water lasted much longer than could be completely natural.

Shizune smiled at a man she recognized from living on the floor below them. He gave her a sleepy smile back and asked, "Just getting home?"

"Mm. How's the baby?" The only reason she remembered that was because his wife had gone into labor late one night and had been progressing too swiftly for them to get to the hospital in time. Shizune had delivered the baby herself right there in the apartment. Even though she'd helped bring their child into the world, she still couldn't for the life of her remember who they were. The one thing she _did_ remember clearly was that had been the night she'd almost witnessed Genma faint.

She'd needed someone to assist her with the birth, and he'd been the only one available at the time. Apparently, he could handle any battle field with an iron stomach, but watching a woman give birth had turned him a shade of grey she'd never seen before. As soon as she'd helped him walk back to their apartment, he'd informed her that if she wanted children she would be in the birthing room alone. She'd told him she would be fine with that, but that she had no desire to have children. That was the first time he'd ever told her he loved her, albeit he meant it in jest.

"Fine, fine. Noisy... and messy... but that's a baby for ya," he chuckled before waving over his shoulder and disappearing down the flight of stairs. Shizune mumbled a goodbye to him and added those two reasons to why she really didn't want to have children. The noisy wasn't so bad, but the messy... she didn't do well with messy.

After what seemed like a hike lasting forever and a day, Shizune finally found herself standing outside the familiar abused door of her home. That poor door had seen hell and then some from the looks of it. It was essentially two wooden panels with a gap between them that one had to lift slightly after unlocking in order to get it to slide open. The outer panel facing the hallway had a hole almost three inches around in it and several scratches and scuffs from being kicked and beaten by various objects. Except for the five nail marks scratching down the inside frame, none of the damage was caused by them. The nail marks were from her and had happened after they had celebrated their one year anniversary with drinks and dinner and... well, yes.

Shizune's fingers worked stiffly to get the key into the lock and turned, a soft sound of irritation slipping from her shortly before she finally managed to get it to work. There was no quiet way about opening their door, so she didn't even try to keep it down for her sleeping partner's sake. She lifted it and pushed back slightly to send it grinding on the tracks running just inside the doorway, opening it just enough for her to slip in. Any further and that awful screeching noise would start. No matter how many times Genma oiled the track, it never helped.

She slid the door shut with just as little care for keeping the noise down as when she'd opened it. She could already hear Genma rolling over in bed from further inside the apartment but knew him well enough to know he wasn't going to bother checking who was entering. If someone was there to rob him, they were welcomed to whatever they could find so long as they didn't disturb his sleep.

Sighing as a thrill at _finally_ being home again swept over her, Shizune began stripping off her gear as she walked back to the bedroom. She would clean it up later... unless Genma beat her to it. It had surprised her to learn her lover was more meticulous than she was about keeping the place tidy. It was so bad in fact that, if he knew they were both going to be away on missions for any extended period of time, he hired a cleaning service to take care of things until they got back. She personally thought it was a waste, but seeing as it _was_ his money paying for the service she had no right to comment.

By the time she reached the bedroom, she was already unhooking her bra and wriggling her panties off her hips. As much as it had surprised her to learn Genma was an obsessive cleaner, it had floored him to learn she preferred to sleep naked. It was a habit she'd developed from traveling with Tsunade-sama all over the different countries, when all they had was one set of clothing to wear at a time. Now, however, she did it just because it was more comfortable. The only time she wore pajamas was when she was lounging around the apartment on those rare days off.

Shizune smiled tenderly as she approached the bed, pausing to stare down at Genma as he lay on his side. No senbon in his mouth, no covering on his head. She really loved his hair, though the fact that he woke up with absolutely _no_ bed head was really irritating. She loved the chocolate brown color of it, the almost downy soft texture as she passed her fingers through it. Some of her most treasured memories were of them stretched out on the couch on rainy days, his head on her stomach so that she could simply stroke his hair.

Genma cracked an eye open to look up at her, a tired smirk curling his lips. Moving as little as he possibly could, he flicked the covers back in an invitation for her to join him. "Stop staring at me while I'm tryin' to sleep," he muttered. "It's creepy, especially since you're naked."

"Sorry," Shizune mumbled back as she dropped to the mattress next to him. He continued to grumble as he arranged the blanket over her before his arm dropped under the covers and slid around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She smiled through the yawn stretching her mouth open when she felt his lips brush over her forehead before moving down to her nose.

"Welcome back. Good timing, too. You just missed the army of strippers leaving the place."

A chuckle escaped her as she tangled the fingers of one hand into his hair, which made him smile in return. "I must be more exhausted than I thought to miss an _army_ of scantily clad women," she replied, earning her a full out, albeit sleepy, grin from him.

Genma's hand rubbed up and down her spine in a gentle massage that did wonders to relieve her strained muscles. Though she was naked and this was the first time in weeks they'd been together, the act of touching had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with conveying all the emotions that words failed to communicate. They could say they loved each other as many times as they wanted, but it was moments like these that made Shizune realize just how much he really did.

"So... you will _not_ believe what's been happening since you left," he continued, speaking even though he looked about ready to go back to sleep at any minute.

"Can it wait until I've had some sleep? And breakfast?" she murmured, inhaling deeply to reacquaint herself with the familiar scent of him. Genma always smelled clean but never like anything she could really pinpoint. As with most jounin, he didn't wear cologne or anything much stronger scented than laundry detergent. And that was how she liked it, just the fresh scent of plain soap and clean skin.

Genma kissed her nose again and pulled her more securely to him. "Sure. Want pancakes or eggs?"

"Mm... pancakes."

"Too bad we don't have any. It's gonna be coffee and granola bars."

Shizune wasn't too tired to give his shoulder a hard punch. "You're such a jerk," she complained under her breath.

She caught the faint trace of a smile on his face as he mumbled back, "Funny how when you call me a jerk, all I hear is how incredible I am."

If he was looking for an argument, he wasn't getting it from her. Not until _after_ she made him go to the grocery store for pancake mix and syrup.

* * *

"Ew... what the _hell_ are you wearing?"

Sakura grinned as Ino's nose wrinkled in disgust at her choice of second date attire; a long sleeved t-shirt that was at least two sizes too big and had last been used to help Ino paint her room twice in one week, an old pair of black pants that had one knee ripped out and was fraying at the hems from being too long for her and the sandals Sakura normally only wore when occasionally helping out at the Yamanaka's flower shop. She had her short hair pinned back and a scarf that only ever saw the light of day when it was time for cleaning the apartment hid all but a few stray pieces of pink.

"What, don't like it?" Sakura asked, feigning a look of complete innocence.

Ino's face twisted up as if she'd just smelled something completely revolting. "You look like you're trying to scare Kakashi off, not entice him. Just what the hell kinda date is this anyway?"

"Well... you said to do something personal for me. So, after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that I'm gonna have to think a little creatively with this whole dating thing. Kakashi's not the type who'll be interested by the usual sort of dates, after all."

"Sakura, he took you out to dinner. That's pretty standard as far as first dates go."

"True," she conceded while pulling on the beaten up gloves she wore when training with Tsunade. "But _I_ was the one who actually mentioned the idea of dinner. And eating in the dark is _not_ standard for a dinner date." She double checked the heavy duty travel pack that she normally used for long term missions to make certain she hadn't forgotten anything. Satisfied that everything she needed was there, she hauled the pack onto her shoulders with a grunt. It was _really_ heavy, but she only had to manage it for a little while.

Ino shrugged, admitting silently that Sakura had a point with that. "So, what did you come up with?" she pressed, pretending to be interested in her magazine while trying to get her roommate to slip up and tell her where the date was going to be. Yes... she would admit it. Her currently nonexistent love life was starting to get to her, so much so that she was willing to follow Sakura on her pretend one just to have a little fun. God... when had she gotten so pathetic?

Sakura laughed and shook head while settling her hands on her hips. "I don't think so, Pig! You are _not_ following me this time!"

Giving and exasperated growl, Ino tossed the magazine onto the coffee table and sat up on the couch, scowling at Sakura as the other girl started for the door. "Fine, can you at least tell me why this date requires that you look like shit?"

"Don't wait up, Ino!" Sakura called as she left the apartment, completely ignoring the other girl's indignant glare.

"Forehead, get back here this minute and- DAMN IT!" The door closed before Ino could finish delivering her threat.

* * *

When he arrived at training ground three, he really had no idea what to expect. They were both more or less operating like they were on a mission and he couldn't help being just a little curious as to what his former student had up her sleeve. Sakura had certainly grown up under Tsunade's tender (and sometimes not so tender, he'd heard) guidance. Any regrets he might have initially felt at not showing her as much favor as he had Uchiha Sasuke was wiped clean by the fact that she was now with a teacher more suited to her talents.

It had been something he'd known since he'd first taught the lesson on chakra control. From the very start, her control had been flawless, a feat that most genin and even some chuunin couldn't boast. It was a skill that was most useful in healing... an area in which he wasn't the most suited to teach. Even if the incident at the chuunin exams hadn't happened, he would have started looking for a better mentor for her talents anyway. At the most with him she could become a passable chuunin, possibly even a low-ranked jounin. With the right person, however... Well, now look at her.

And it seemed as if, in addition to all the extra training Tsunade put her through, Sakura had developed a creative streak that was proving to make the task of discovering what she was up to more fun than he'd anticipated. The downside to her creativity was that he would now have to step up on his 'dates', something he hadn't been forced to do in... oh, a while. Maybe a year. Maybe closer to five. But he was confident he could get back into the swing of things easily enough.

"Yo," he called as he approached Sakura, his eyebrow lifting in surprise at her choice of clothing. She'd been serious about wearing something to get dirty in, hadn't she? Not that she didn't look pretty or anything, simply that it was a complete change from that dress she'd worn their first night out. He almost liked this better. She looked comfortable, whereas in the dress she'd fidgeted quite a bit. Still... that skirt had been awfully fun.

Sakura smirked from on top of the large rock that was her perch, a blade of grass stuck between her lips in a way that reminded him of Genma and his senbon. "You're late," she commented as she pulled the grass from her mouth and leaned forward, her choice of seating now making her just a few inches taller than he was.

"Ah, yes. About that... Well, there was a slight issue with the fireplace at my apartment and-,"

"You have a fireplace?" she interrupted, her eyes widening in a mixture of envy and eagerness.

Kakashi laughed and leaned back against the rock, purposely allowing his shoulder to slide against her leg. There was a sharp little hiss of breath from her before she managed to force herself to relax. "That was the problem. I _don't _have a fireplace. The neighbor next door decided to give me one. A nice gesture, but it's a little late for my birthday."

"Or incredibly early, depending on how you want to look at it," Sakura added with a snicker, crossing her legs at the ankles as a fairly subtle way of putting some distance between him and her. Kakashi couldn't help the amused little smile at her actions.

"True," he conceded before turning so that one shoulder was now pressed to the boulder and he was not only facing her but touching her again ever so slightly. "But they only managed to get so far as to burn a hole big enough to crawl through into my apartment. I'm thinking the couch is going to be moved there until it gets fixed."

Sakura laughed, her bright green eyes catching in the quickly fading light from the sun sinking into the horizon. It painted training ground three's grassy, boulder strewn slope in deep oranges and pinks that were beginning to slip into purple hues with the approaching evening. At first, he'd thought perhaps she'd planned a sunset picnic on the scenic training area, but there was no basket of food anywhere to be seen. The only things other than Sakura on the rock were four thigh pouches used for shuriken and a large gear bag.

"So... you've had me curious since yesterday, Sakura. What are we doing that requires us getting dirty?" He purposely added just the right lilt to his words to make the double entendre apparent.

The pink haired young woman's cheeks turned a shade that rivaled the sunset as she shot a mild glare in his direction. "Nothing you'd find in one of those damned books," she fired back.

"And we're back to _Icha Icha Paradise_ once again. Really, Sakura, if you're that curious about them all you have to do is ask."

"Is that so?" she murmured, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she studied what she could see of his face.

Kakashi kept his expression neutral as he shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, I know them all by heart. If you want, I can recite volume one-,"

"No thanks!" Sakura shouted, swinging her foot toward his chest. He caught her ankle easily, and a subtle twist of his grip had his fingers curling around bare flesh. The fight instantly ceased in her at the touch of his fingers on her smooth leg. Sakura gaped at him as all sorts of interesting emotions crossed over her face. Shock, annoyance, outrage and... was that just a hint of enjoyment he saw there? He wasn't certain of it, but it looked damned close to him.

Releasing her leg slowly while maintaining eye contact and putting just a touch of answering heat to his own gaze, Kakashi made a show of clearing his throat and asking in a soft voice, "So, back to our plans for the evening. I take it we're doing something active?"

"Oh... right," Sakura murmured, blinking as if she had just woken up. Moving slowly, almost like she was reluctant to do so, she reached behind her for two thigh pouches and handed them over to him. "When I was in the Academy, this was an exercise we used to do to practice throwing and dodging shuriken. If we were good, Iruka-sensei used to let us out early just to get in a round or two before going home."

Kakashi took the leather cases and opened one up, his eyebrow rising as he removed a single bright blue bead that was a little bigger than a marble. "Paintballs?" he questioned before dropping the bead back into the pouch.

Grinning, Sakura grabbed the remaining two pouches and jumped to the ground, bending over to fasten them securely around her thighs. He followed her example and secured his own supply of paintballs as well, still a little surprised she'd picked what amounted to a training exercise as a date. "Yup," she replied happily. "We're gonna play paintball tag. But there's a catch."

"Oh?"

Nodding and looking as pleased as a cat who had just stolen all the cream, she continued, "Because this is a date and _not_ a training session... no jutsus. And no using the sharingan either."

"Fair enough. No chakra tracking then."

A wicked, teasing glint entered Sakura's eyes as she drawled, "Oh, really? Are you saying I'm better at it than you are?"

Kakashi snorted and rolled his eyes. "Are you forgetting who you're talking to here? Tracking chakra was one of my specialties in the ANBU."

Sakura gave a light laugh and held her hands up as if to fend off a blow. "Okay, okay! Do you want to hear the rest of it before it gets too late to do anything or not?"

"I'm all but breathless with anticipation," he deadpanned, grinning when she gave him a mild glare.

"The person with the least number of splotches on them wins," she explained, still looking as if she was half way to punching him out.

"What's the prize?"

Sakura hummed innocently under her breath, but there was nothing innocent at all about the look in her eyes and the triumphant little smirk to her lips. "You'll just have to avoid getting hit to find out."

"You mean like this?" She hadn't been watching his hands while she'd been gloating. Kakashi didn't throw the ball at her so much as squish it between his palm and her shoulder, grinning as he wiped his fingers down the length of her sleeve while her mouth hung open in shock. "So... these are filled with glow in the dark paint, eh? Nice touch."

"Y-You... You..." she stuttered while a fine tremor began to move through her.

"Me, what?" he taunted while casually changing his stance to get ready for a sudden sprint.

Sakura growled angrily as her hands flew for her own supply of paintballs. Kakashi had a split second to marvel at how much faster she'd become before he was running full tilt toward the next boulder for cover. He dove behind it just as a wet splat connected with the solid surface, a few luminescent green speckles spraying outward to decorate his sandals.

"She just _had_ to pick the green one," he muttered, grimacing as he cautiously peered around his shelter to check her location. As he expected, she wasn't anywhere in sight. Had she moved for the thin line of trees at the edge of the training area? Or maybe she was using the tall grass to cover her movements. His eyes narrowed as a section of grass began to waver against the light breeze.

"Looking for me?" Sakura demanded... from right above him. Damn, she was a _lot_ quicker than he remembered!

"Shit!" Kakashi pushed off the ground and leapt to a spot several feet away just in time to avoid the paintballs she'd thrown at him. Dropping down low, he followed the trail of various, glowing paint spots in the grass back to his former hiding place. Sakura was still up on the boulder, scanning the field for any sign of him. So, she'd thrown the paintballs but not actually seen where he'd gone, huh? A slow smile curved his lips as he began to plan his counter attack.

His wrist flicked almost faster than even he could follow while his feet propelled him sideways, using the movement of the wind to disguise his actions. He heard her shriek before three paintballs burst exactly where he'd been only moments before. Kakashi peered through the grass up at the rock she'd been using to scout the area and grinned when he noticed she wasn't there any longer. It appeared she'd learned her lesson about doing _that _again.

Now, however, they were both at an equal disadvantage. The grass was tall, easily high enough to cover a person if they were crouched low enough. There was no way he could search out her location without risking a peek over the tops of the gently swaying blades or feeling out her chakra signature, which went against the rules for their game. Slowly, being carefully not to disrupt his camouflage too badly, Kakashi scanned the area in front of him...

Just as he noticed a small projectile aiming for his head. He ducked back down again, just barely missing the shot that would have caught him on the head protector. Not bad... unfortunately for her though, he'd seen her movement and now knew her exact positioning. Chancing that she was still there, he flung the two paintballs poised between his fingers, not bothering to see if they'd hit their target as he rushed toward her hiding place in order to flush her out.

Sakura yelped when she saw him coming and pushed off the ground into the air, twisting midway through to fire two more shots at him. Both were dodged easily as he slipped behind a boulder, breathing a little hard from the sudden burst of speed but grinning under the mask from the rush the chase was giving to his system. So far, the only bits of paint he had on him were the specks on his sandals. From what he'd noticed of her before he'd taken cover, she was starting to look like a piece of modern art.

"Ready to give up?" Sakura called, her voice carrying on the breeze and echoing in the open area.

Kakashi chuckled, dropping his head to his chest and shaking it lightly. "Lesson number seventeen; When hiding from the enemy, observe silence if the enemy is within striking distance!" He sent one paint ball arching high into the air and the other directly toward her. A burst of electric blue exploded on his shoulder before he could spin back behind his shelter. So much for going home clean.

"Looks like you broke your own- Ah! AH! YOU JERK!" Both of his shots hit her exactly as planned, if the shouting was any indication.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" he hollered back while edging his way around the chunk of rock his back was pressed against. He couldn't stay there any longer. She knew where he was now and he had no intention of letting her win so easily. Most guys would simply let their date win a contest like this. He wasn't most guys though and therefore would make her work for a victory. Slowly, staying low and making as little sound as possible, Kakashi began weaving his way against the breeze. It was more risky, but she would expect him to conceal his movements with the wind.

Silence met his query, which meant she'd learned that lesson well and good, too. Kakashi gave a quiet sigh while he waited for her to make a move. All of his years of training, conditioning and experience kept the anticipation that came with waiting for an attack under control. It was sorely tempting though to just use the slightest amount of chakra to search her out. But then again... why bother? If he was patient, he knew Sakura would eventually move.

He didn't have to wait long for it to happen. There was a rush of black fabric from his left, moving out of the shadows of the thin trees with a speed that was actually pretty impressive. Kakashi waited until she was almost at the boulder before springing up behind her and letting loose a string of paintballs. He counted twelve hits to her back and ass before he dropped to the ground and rolling out of sight into the grass. So far, the plan was working as expected.

"Damn it all!" Sakura shrieked from only a few feet away.

Laughing as she continued to cuss and twist about to examine the new color to her attire, Kakashi stood up from the grass and held his hands out to the side to show he was unarmed despite the fact that he still had a few shots left. As tempting as it was to get in another few licks while she was preoccupied with swatting at her clothing, he refrained from doing so. He didn't want her getting too angry with him, after all. "You're a lot faster than you used to be. Well done," he complimented.

Sakura scowled as she wiped the back of her hand across her cheek. All it served to do was smear more paint on her skin. "Thanks," she said with a healthy dose of dry sarcasm to her voice. "But… I suppose that means you're empty now, so…" With a sly grin, her quick hands flew to the pouches on her thighs to pull out a handful of paintballs.

Kakashi's lips lifted into a sly curve as he said quietly, "Who said I'm empty?" She was certainly quick… but he was quicker. Years of having to be faster than the enemy or end up dead weighed in his favor as he too grabbed a handful of balls and flung them at her while spinning aside to avoid her attack. He managed to avoid all but three of the paintballs, one hitting him in the shoulder while the other two landed near his hip.

Sakura yelped and held her hands up in front of her in a futile effort to keep the attack from happening. She stumbled back a step, tripped over something hidden in the grass and toppled backward onto her ass as a myriad of colors exploded in neon bursts all over her. All he could see for a moment were her multicolored sandals flailing up above the grass before flopping back down as she groaned miserably.

Kakashi was trying hard not to laugh as he hurried over to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked, an edge of amusement slipping free and earning him a glare. He leaned over her, carefully positioning himself away from her legs and fists to avoid having any part of his anatomy abused by her.

"Oh... fine. Awesome, in fact," Sakura answered tightly and with a curve to her lips that looked more like a grimace than a smile. She sat up and looked down at her multicolored shirt for a minute before trying to clean it off a little with her hands. Kakashi bit the insides of his cheek to hold the laughter back when this only made the problem worse, smearing the paints together while now coating her hands completely.

"Sorry." The chuckle that he quickly cut off as she redirected her angry glare on him gave lie to the apology. He wasn't sorry, not in the least. He'd purposely waited for her to empty her supply before unloading his arsenal in one blow just like she did, except with more paintballs. Was it maybe the wrong thing to do? Perhaps... but he almost preferred her being angry at him for winning rather than insulting her abilities by letting her win.

"No, you're not," she grumbled as she pushed to her feet without any help from him, not that he'd offered it anyway. Sometime during their activity, the dark bandana she'd had tied in her hair had disappeared, revealing short, pink locks with chunks of glowing blue, green and yellow speckled through it.. She was a mess... but he had to admit she looked awfully cute.

He shrugged and didn't bother trying to hide the fact that he was laughing any longer. "Remember, this was _your_ idea."

Sakura's eyes narrowed to thin, dangerous slits as a slow smile began to curve her lips upward. Kakashi had only a moment to wonder what sort of revenge she had planned when she reached out and placed a hand directly on his chest... and wiped downward, leaving a trail of paint in the shape of her hand in its wake. She gave his shirt a couple more wipes, smirking as his eyes dropped to the newly applied paint before returning to her face again.

Arching a brow, Kakashi took a deep, slow breath in and muttered, "Right," before his hand flicked back into the pouch and removed the last three paintballs he had left. His other hand grabbed her wrist to hold her still for the final assault. Sakura shrieked and tried twisting away, laughing as she dug her heels into the ground to keep from being hauled in.

It didn't take much effort to reel her into him, but it was hard to tell if that was intentional on her part or not. She continued squirming, her back pressed to his chest and curled over in an effort to keep her head covered and away from the paintballs. Grinning under the mask, Kakashi held the paintballs up as if preparing to smash them down on her while she cringed with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. And then... he simply let them fall from his hand to be lost in the grass, opting instead for wrapping his other arm around her to hold her still.

Sakura froze against him, which very nearly made him burst out laughing in triumph. She really wasn't cut out for the job of tempting him, not if it was so easy to one-up her own plans. He had no doubt now she'd allowed herself to be captured so easily, which ended up giving him the perfect opening to start laying the foundations for his own game. She obviously hadn't planned on him hugging her.

Typically, he wasn't much on the touchy-feely aspects of romance, especially in public, but this whole thing was far from typical to begin with. He knew the kind of girl Sakura was; loyal, loveable but always needing to be reaffirmed emotionally. That didn't mean dropping an 'I love you' every single day. Thank god she wasn't _that_ type, otherwise he would have reconsidered seducing her from the start. Basically, little things like how he was holding her now were what would do the trick, essentially killing two birds with one stone. It would make her feel like her plan was working because he was obviously responding while subtly playing upon what _she_ wanted out of a potential partner.

Oh, and the fact that it felt good when she squirmed against him? Yeah... completely incidental to the goal, but very nice nonetheless. He may be a man on a mission, but he was still a _man._ When a pretty young woman was twisting around in his arms, what man _wouldn't_ get a thrill out of it?

"Um... K-Kakashi-sen...," Sakura began, catching herself when the honorific almost slipped out. She continued to remain completely still in his arms, almost to the point where he was afraid her muscles had locked in place.

"Hmm?" he asked back, turning his head just enough so that he was speaking into the area just behind her ear. A shiver ran down her spine, letting him know he'd been right on the mark on their last date. Sakura was apparently _very_ sensitive along her throat, especially the area right near her ears. That information was filed away for later use.

"C-Can you let go now?" Her voice was a little choked and barely sounded more than a whisper. A small shiver ran through her, which assured him she wasn't uncomfortable with the embrace so much as the reaction it caused in her.

Kakashi hummed under his breath, as if pretending to think about her question carefully. "Sure, on one condition," he replied, chuckling as an irritated groan met his ears.

"More conditions," she muttered, turning her head slightly to toss a mild glare over her shoulder. "I'm getting pretty sick of them, you know."

"It's not so much a condition as a request then. Take the pouches off."

"I'm empty," she complained.

"Humor me. Unless you _want_ to stay here all night like this? I personally don't mind, but..."

Sakura squirmed a little against him as she wriggled her hands down to her thighs. Two thumps sounded in the grass, which not only told him that the pouches were gone but that she'd been far from empty as well. Apparently, she'd been playing with loaded odds from the start. She squawked in surprise when he walked them back and away from the pouches, making certain she wouldn't have a chance to reach down and reload. "What are you doing?"

"Standard procedure when capturing an opponent; make certain they don't have a chance to get to a weapon," he replied, grinning at the angry growl that came from her as she began struggling again. "While we're at it... should I pat you down or are you going to empty your pockets for me?"

"You're such a jerk," she snarled, pushing away from him angrily. Kakashi let her go this time, laughing as she gave him a shove... which felt oddly wet. Looking down confirmed that not only had she emptied her pockets but that she'd emptied them right on his shirt.

He looked up, arching a brow at the smirk on her face before shaking his head. "I knew you still had some left."

"Yeah, but you didn't think I'd do _that_, did you?" Sakura demanded as a wide grin broke across her face.

"No... no, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that. You do know I'm now obliged to get revenge, right?"

"Ha! With what? You dropped your last three over there!"

"How do you know they were the last?"

A look of smug satisfaction came over her as she cocked one hip to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I made it a point to check _your_ supply while you were holding me just a little while ago." She stuck her tongue out at him, her brilliant green eyes glittering with excitement.

Kakashi could only stare at her in surprise. She'd actually used the opportunity to check his own paintball supply? Nice... very nice. Tsunade had taught her well. Apparently, he was going to have to stop taking her so lightly when it came to this game. Chuckling while he shook his head in disbelief, he murmured, "Next time you grope me, would you mind telling me beforehand? Because I totally missed out on that one."

"Pervert! I wasn't groping you, I was checking for balls!"

Oh... the many, many ways he could take that comment out of context! Instead, he settled for arching a brow and staring at her until she realized just how wrong her choice of words was. Sakura's hand slapped tightly over her mouth and her eyes widened considerably in horror while her skin turned a darker shade. Even in the thin light of the moon, he could see the change and knew she was blushing fiercely.

Sighing, Kakashi walked over to her, prompting her to flinch as he took hold of her wrist and pulled her hand away from her mouth. "Good thinking to check," he said, opting for that over the hundreds of other responses he would have preferred instead. There was a time and place for that sort of joking, and right then wasn't it. He knew his instincts were correct by the surprised look on her face followed by the grateful little smile that curved her lips.

"Think so?" she muttered while staring very pointedly at her feet.

Kakashi angled her chin upward with one finger, forcing her to meet his gaze. The blush returned, but it wasn't because she was embarrassed. He knew very well what that faint spark in her eyes meant and paused to silently congratulate his self on succeeding in the first stage of his plan. "It's something I would have done had our roles been reversed. Now, hold still."

Sakura jerked away when he began to reach for her hair, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You better not have a-,"

"You checked, remember? I'm out. I was just getting some of the paint out of your hair."

"Oh...right."

Kakashi very carefully kept the amusement off his face as he began combing his fingers back through her hair lightly, pausing to pick out the pieces of wax that had once been paintball casings every so often. Sakura remained very still in front of him, and he was beginning to think the blush on her cheeks was going to stain her skin permanently. Not that it was a bad thing. She was especially pretty when she was blushing, which was why he suspected so many people liked to do it.

She continued to stare at his chest the entire time, her fingers twisting together nervously. Satisfied that a more tender mood had been reestablished, Kakashi tucked a few of the more wild pieces of hair behind her ear, smiling before he found a clean section on his sleeve and used that to wipe some of the paint off her face. "There. That's a bit better, isn't it?" he asked softly.

"I wouldn't know. I can't exactly see what I look like right now," she muttered back.

"Well, _I_ think you look fine, especially for having been through a paintball battle. Maybe a little more glow-in-the-dark than you were before..."

Sakura smiled and gave him a playful shove. "You're pretty shiny yourself, you know."

"Shiny is something I've never been called before. I don't know how I feel about that."

She laughed at his comment, her arms wrapping around to hug her stomach. "Wait until I tell Gai-sensei-,"

"Don't you even joke about that," he threatened, only half joking now. The last thing he needed was Maito Gai giving him a one piece spandex suit with sequins on it. There wasn't enough porn in the world to counteract that type of wrapping choice.

Biting her lower lip and looking like the very embodiment of mischief, Sakura began moving away from him slowly. "He's probably still in Konoha, right? Yes... Tenten said they weren't leaving until tomorrow morning, soooo..."

Kakashi caught her before she'd so much as run three paces, spinning her back around again just as he had before. This time though, Sakura wasn't fighting back. How could she when she was near breathless with laughter. "I don't think so," he growled in mock anger. "If you do, my revenge will be a hundred times worse!"

"Okay, okay," she yielded, still giggling despite the occasional hiccup that interrupted her. "And stop that, it tickles!"

Chuckling wickedly, Kakashi poked her sides again, which very nearly resulted in her head butting him as she squirmed. "Oooh... you shouldn't have told me that. _Never_ reveal your weakness to the enemy." And, to drive that point home, he soon had her shrieking and writhing to get away from his quick hands.

* * *

Shizune smiled as she left the administration building when she caught sight of Genma leaning against the side of the, waiting for her. "Hey, there," she called, walking to meet him half way as he pushed off the wall. She teasingly plucked the senbon from his mouth before leaning in to kiss him lightly He was smiling against her lips before groaning softly as her fingers slid down his chest to hook into his belt. Shizune pulled back slowly, her heart speeding up at the flare of lust that flashed through his dark eyes.

He opened his mouth when she held the senbon out again, a slow, flirtatious smile curving his lips as he bit back down on it. "I'll have to thank whatever patient got you all hot and bothered later," he murmured while settling his hands on her hips.

Looping an arm around his neck, Shizune gave a dreamy little hum, as if remembering the non-existent patient he'd mentioned. "I love my job," she sighed, smiling when his hands squeezed a little more firmly on her hips.

"Right... now I want this bastard's name so I can beat his ass," Genma replied, feigning jealousy.

Laughing, she tugged him down for another quick kiss to the side of his mouth before saying, "You have a mission, don't you?"

"Mm... yeah. I leave tomorrow afternoon," he answered, removing the senbon once again as he leaned that slight inch downward to meet her. The next kiss that came had a lot more heat to it and just the barest amount of his tongue tracing her lips, causing her to shiver lightly.

"Take out?"

"Already ordered and waiting for us to pick it up. Ready to go?" He pulled back and replaced the senbon where it belonged between his lips.

Shizune nodded, smiling as she wrapped one arm around his waist, which prompted him to drop his arm over her shoulder. She leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing contentedly as they began walking back home together. It made her a little sad to think that he was leaving barely a day after she herself had returned, but that was the life of a ninja. She was certain he felt the same way any time she had to leave. That was why they made it a point to send the other off with enough pleasant memories to make certain they came home safely.

"So, are you allowed to talk about the mission or is it strictly classified?" she asked, snuggling into the curve of his body more securely.

"Eh, it's just some S-classed punk who's been running crazy through Fire Country," Genma explained, his features scrunching into a look of disdain. "According to the reports, he's nothing much to talk about. Rape, murder, highway robbery, sometimes a combo of the three. That sort of thing."

"Well, he _has_ to be something of a formidable ninja if he's S-class."

"I'll be out with Raidou, Edorai and Saito, so it should be fine. Unless that freakin' idiot Saito gets all groany and weepy. Then we might have to kill him and split the profit three ways. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one, right?"

Shizune laughed and bumped his hip lightly with hers. "Be nice. Saito's not _that_ bad."

"Are you kidding me?" Genma exclaimed, staring at her with an incredulous look on his face. "The guy is one step away from being crowned Emo King of Konoha!"

"He is not! Just because he's very serious-,"

"Serious? Shizune, you're being too kind. When you ask him how he's doing and all you get is some crap about how life really has no meaning and that he's-,"

"Hey... isn't that Kakashi down there?" Shizune paused, causing Genma to stop walking as well as she frowned down at the mess of silver hair she would have recognized anywhere. Her frown intensified when she also caught sight of familiar pink hair, though under the moonlight it appeared almost lavender. "And that's Sakura with him."

"Ah... so it is," Genma replied slowly. The way he said that made her whip around to look at him curiously. It was hard for him to tell what exactly she was thinking right then, whether it was surprise or a growing need to castrate a certain copy ninja. While the relationship that Shizune and Sakura had was mostly professional, Shizune did have a habit of watching out for the younger girl. A habit that had seen a few chuunin and jounin enter the infirmary for check ups and leave with bruises than they came in with and ringing ears.

"Genma?" Shizune questioned, pulling away from him as a hardness began to creep over her features. "Is there something I should know about this?"

"I don't suppose you'd buy that they were training?" he tried. The arch to her brow and the way her head angled a little to the side told him she sure as hell wouldn't... and that his ass was on thin ice.

Sighing, Genma took another road and began rubbing her arms gently, his expression slipping into one of absolute seriousness. "Okay, here it goes... That there? That's a date. It's this thing where two people usually of the opposite sex, which is a negotiable factor, go out for an evening of fun because they like each other in a more than platonic sense." His lips began to quirk upward despite his best efforts to maintain a serious facade.

Shizune ran her tongue along her teeth, a habit of hers that came out when she was equal parts mad and amused with Genma. He was the only man she knew of who could infuriate and make her laugh at the same time. "Is that what that is?" she mused, fighting the smile that wanted to break free.

"Yeah. Which is, coincidentally, what I'm trying to take _you_ on," Genma continued, one corner of his mouth lifting upward crookedly. "That is, _if_ you can keep from sticking Kakashi full of needles until tomorrow. If you'd rather kill him now though and skip them take out food and sex..." He shrugged, indicating silently it would be her loss.

Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura... on a date. Shizune couldn't say she was completely happy about that, considering Sakura was rather dear to her in a sisterly sense, but she supposed it could have been worse. Kakashi wasn't completely slap-worthy on most occasions. Besides, perhaps this was a sign the younger girl was finally getting over her infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke. If _that_ was the case... she would be forever grateful to Kakashi. She had never met the Uchiha boy, but she'd heard enough about him to know he would have made Sakura incredibly heartbroken.

Shizune's eyes narrowed as she once again looked at the couple sitting on a boulder and pointing randomly at the sky. While she wasn't close enough to be certain, it looked as if Sakura was smiling. If Sakura was happy, then she certainly couldn't object to it. And besides... it really wasn't any of her business to begin with. She knew from her talks with Kurenai how frustrating it could be when all of Konoha was prying into the bedroom. It was one of the reasons Kurenai and Asuma kept their relationship as quiet as possible.

Letting out a low breath, Shizune poked Genma playfully in the stomach, smiling up at his confused stare. "What did you order?" she asked, a grin and a small laugh breaking out when his shoulder sagged with relief.

"Whew! I thought for sure there was going to be blood tonight!" he laughed before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Dumplings, that duck crap you like, miso soup and lots of wine."

"Jasmine wine?"

Genma rolled his eyes and settled his arm around her shoulders again to guide her away from the training grounds. "Yes, yes," he groaned dramatically. "As if you'd let me get anything else!" He had no idea why the fragrant wine appealed to her so much since she could never drink very much of anything without getting loopy from it. But, if it made her happy... he'd sacrifice his sake for her wine any day.

Laughing, Shizune wrapped her arm around his waist again and gave him a hug. "And Tsunade-sama wonders why I love you."

Snorting, Genma muttered, "It's because she bet you'd end up with Raidou instead, that's why. Sucks for you, huh?"

Shizune elbowed him sharply but met his grin with one of her own. "You really are terribly, Genma!"

"Maybe, but you seem to keep coming back for more."

* * *

"No, look! It really does look like a bird," Sakura argued, using her finger to trace the pattern she saw in the stars for Kakashi. After the round of paintball (which was actually more fun than she'd anticipated), she'd opened the travel pack to pull out the blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate she'd made off of a recipe Hinata had given to her. The 'prize' for winning was actually a container of cookies she'd made the night before... or what was left of them after Ino had gotten her hands on them. Kakashi had declined both (she wasn't really surprised there), which was fine by her. That just meant more for herself!

Kakashi squinted with his visible eye, which still had specks of glowing green paint on the area around it, and said, "Mm... nope, still not seeing it." He was stretched out on his back, his hands behind his head and ankles crossed, looking incredibly comfortable on their rock perch.

Sakura flashed him an annoyed look and stuck her tongue out. "You've gotta be blind not to see that! Here, follow my finger-,"

"You've traced over it seven times now. I don't think an eighth will make the fact that I don't see a bird change," he complained. "Maybe if you were lying down as well..."

She shifted where she sat and glanced at the space between their bodies. On the one hand, the idea of stretching out next to him made the queasy feeling surge to the surface, one that felt like a much more extreme case of nerves to her. On the other... why did it make her heart beat faster at the idea of snuggling with him? Just because they'd been rather... _intimately_ pressed together earlier that evening didn't mean she should be wondering what it'd be like to settle her head on his chest or shoulder.

Laughing and very aware that the sound had a nervous ring to it, Sakura said, "That's okay. I can see fine from here."

Kakashi's sigh made her look back at him just as he pushed himself up on his elbows to level an almost bored look at her. "Sakura... why are you here?"

She blinked in surprise at his question, swiveling around to face him a little more directly. "Why am I here? Because... well... it's a date, right? I mean, it'd be silly to make a date and not go on it!"

"If this is a date, then why are you acting like I'm carrying an infectious disease?"

Oh... shit! Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, SHIT! She had to think of something quick, something convincing. Sakura's fingers picked at one of the blankets spread out on the rock, her lower lip caught between her teeth anxiously as she looked anywhere but at him. He'd know right away if she lied and said she wasn't uncomfortable. If she lied now, he would know something else was up and then it'd be a short jump from there to Tsunade-sama's stupid order to take his books.

Sighing, Sakura ventured a glance to where he was patiently waiting for an answer and wrinkled her nose a little. "It's not that I'm uncomfortable," she began slowly. "It's just... well… This is kinda new territory for me. I mean, I've not really had a chance to date anyone before, not to mention curl up with someone else. Well, except for Ino. She gets _really_ snuggly when she's been sneaking Tsunade-sama's sake and doesn't go to sleep unless-,"

"Sakura?" he interrupted, an unreadable expression on what she could see of his face.

"Huh?"

"Just lie down, okay?" There was a spark to his eye that told her he was more amused than annoyed by her rambling.

Swallowing hard, she nodded and slowly stretched out on her back next to him, leaving a good sized gap between them. She fought not to blush when his gaze swept over her, his eyebrow arching in disbelief. Shoulders slumping and head shaking slightly, Kakashi laid back down... but closed the distance between them pointedly. "Pick your head up," he instructed almost tersely.

"Why?"

"Because it'll give me a better angle to bite your neck," he teased, smiling as she rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"You're a real creep sometimes, you know that?" she muttered, but she did what he requested anyway, ignoring the way her stomach churned fiercely. God... she hoped he wasn't going to do anything perverted! What if he tried to molest her or something? For the sake of her mission (as well as avoiding a year of midnight shifts), she _should_ be okay with that. However, from a more personal stand point... she wasn't sure. Oh, she knew for a fact that she'd punch him into next week if he tried anything funny, but for some reason it made her skin warm just thinking about it. Huh.

She knew why he'd wanted her to pick her head up when he shifted next to her and settled his arm around her, tucking her against his side so that her head was now resting on his shoulder while his fingers rubbed lightly along her shoulder and neck. Whenever they brushed along her neck, pushing her hair back gently, it sent a different sort of butterflies dancing through her stomach. It felt... nice. Was that weird of her to actually like it? She wasn't sure, but she couldn't help admitting it was rather pleasant cuddling up with him.

"Now then," Kakashi murmured, his breath blowing lightly across the top of her head. "Point out that bird to me again."

Still shivering from the light play of his fingers along her skin, Sakura extended her arm upward and traced the pattern with her finger once more. "See, those are the wings. And that's the tail fanning out there."

"Ah... now I get it! See, wasn't it a good idea for you to lie down?" he teased, his arm squeezing her briefly in a way that made her skin start to go warm again.

Sakura smiled hesitantly, her lower lip between her teeth as she let her arm drop. Sneaking a peek at him out of the corner of her eye, she cautiously reached out and settled her hand on his chest. Some strange sensation raced down her spine when she did that, like a chill except she knew it wasn't. She could feel his heart beating steadily under her palm, feel the incredibly solid muscles covering his pectorals stretch and retract with each even breath. Between the warmth of his body pressed to hers and the gentle stroking of his hand along her shoulder and neck, she was starting to feel relaxed. Weird...

"Hey, I found one," Kakashi stated, pointing with his free hand to a small cluster of stars. "Look, if you follow the curve down that way and up again, you get-,"

"Oh, I see! It looks like a bull!"

"Um... actually, it looks like a slug. But a bull was close."

Sakura lifted her head enough to regard him with a narrowed, suspicious glare. When she caught the mischievous twinkle to his eye, she giggled and settled down next to him again. "Ha ha. You're just sooo funny," she replied dryly, earning her a creased eye in return. This wasn't so bad, really. He was behaving himself (for now at least) and his shoulder _did_ make a better pillow than the rock. It was actually a lot like curling up with a drunken Ino, except his chest was a good deal flatter than hers and he wasn't drooling in her hair.

"Glad someone besides me thinks so," he chuckled back. The hand he'd used to point out the questionable dragon settled along the arm she had curved to his chest. For a moment, she was afraid that her earlier observation about him behaving was about to change, but when all he did was rub her arm through the fabric of her shirt, she began to relax again. Geeze... How stupid of her to think that Kakashi would act like a pig. True, he was a pervert but he was a fairly tame one when compared with some of the idiots who stumbled into the hospital. She should have known better than to think that'd change just because she had to date him now.

Sakura's eyes began to droop a little as he slid the hand that had been rubbing her arm down to stroke her hand on his chest. Between the physical activity, the hot chocolate and the surprisingly relaxed state she was in, she was starting to get a little tired. She hadn't had a chance to catch a break after her shift at the hospital, so it was only natural that she'd be exhausted before hand. Though it was late and she was tired, a part of her really didn't feel like moving any time soon. Snuggling with Kakashi was actually much nicer than she'd expected.

She wasn't aware that she'd actually fallen asleep until Kakashi shaking her lightly made her jerk her head off his shoulder to blink sleepily. "Ready to head back?" he asked, partially turning on his side to face her.

"Hmm? Oh... yeah. Prob'ly a good idea," she mumbled, stretching as she sat up and let out a yawn. Slowly, she pushed to her feet and ruffled her hair with her fingers before giving herself a shake to help wake up a little more.

Kakashi laughed under his breath as he began folding the blankets again and stuffing them into her bag. "Tsunade worked you to death today, did she?"

"No, today was a hospital shift," she corrected, arching her back to work out any stiffness in her muscles. "Every other day is training with Tsunade-sama. That's the new schedule for now."

"Oh? When did she change your schedule?" he queried, his voice carrying only mild curiosity for the topic.

"Just a few days ago, so it's taking some getting used to still." Sakura smiled as he hefted the bag to his own shoulders and leapt down from the rock to wait for her. She followed him down and didn't tense up as much when he automatically took her hand. They began walking back to the main area of Konoha side by side, neither of them really looking at each other as they went. She spared a glance up at the Hokage's tower as they passed it, smiling a little when she noticed the light in Tsunade's office was still on. It looked like her mentor was still working... or drinking. She'd find out in the morning which one it was.

"Any reason for why she did that?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer him and then froze in order to study his profile intently. His expression was blank as he watched the path ahead. Almost _too_ blank, actually. Did he suspect something? Maybe. She couldn't be sure, but she still had to be careful about what she said. Shrugging and affecting an indifferent tone to her voice, she said, "Who knows? Tsunade will do whatever she feels like, whenever she feels like. Maybe she knows she's pushed me really hard recently and is giving me a break? I'm not gonna complain about it!"

Kakashi smiled next to her and readjusted the bag on his back. "No, definitely don't question it. Tsunade isn't known to be merciful that often."

Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes. If he only knew what an understatement _that_ was. Tsunade's 'act of mercy' was for purely selfish reasons, but that didn't mean she wouldn't take advantage of it when she could. Sleeping in a little longer was a luxury she hadn't experienced in a long time. She sighed and looked around to see where they were going next before frowning when she recognized the street she lived on.

"Hey... do you know where we are?" she demanded, turning to face him as they kept walking.

"Hmm?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrow lifting questioningly. "I was just following you. Why, don't you know?"

Sakura mentally kicked herself for not paying closer attention to things before unzipping the pocket on her pants that held her house key. "Remember last time how you offered to walk me home?" she joked sardonically as she pulled the key out.

"Yeah?"

"Well, it looks like I took you up on that offer tonight. This is my building here." She indicated the small, well tended apartment building with her thumb, smiling as he took it in with an approving nod.

"Nice," he commented as he released her hand and passed the bag back to her. "Better off than mine, actually."

Feigning wide, innocent eyes, Sakura said in a sweet voice, "But I thought you had a fireplace." A grin broke out as he rolled his eye. She couldn't be certain due to the dim light of the street lamp just to one side of the steps, but she almost swore she saw a smile form under the tight black material covering the lower half of his face.

"True... but I don't have a balcony. Or flower boxes outside my window for that matter," he explained as he took a step closer to her.

Sakura's breath held in her throat when her breasts came into contact with his chest just the barest bit, her eyes widening as his fingers toyed with hers idly. "So, is a third date out of the question?" he asked, his eye locking with hers steadily. There was something in his gaze that she didn't recognize. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but the closest she could come to describing it was warmth. It was the same sort of warmth she saw in the eyes of some of the more forward patients, the ones who told her how pretty she was before Shizune invariably sent her out of the room. Whoa... did that mean the plan was seriously working? Ino was going to be so pissed!

Swallowing down the voice in her mind crowing with triumph, Sakura shook her head and smiled. "No, I don't think so." Her gaze dropped toward the ground, but instead of spotting pavement and her feet she caught sight of his hands holding hers. Her skin was getting warm again, her fingers actually tingling a little from the way he was playing with them teasingly.

"No, you don't want to do this again or no, a third date isn't unthinkable?"

"The second, you jerk."

Kakashi nodded once and said, "Good answer, minus the jerk part. I'll let you know tomorrow what the plan is."

"Okay... sure. Um... goodnight?"

She froze despite her determination not to do that as he leaned in closer to her and freed one hand to comb back through her hair very much like he had done before. The movement made her look up at him, her breath catching as his eye scanned her face, as if to memorize her features. It sent a shiver down her spine and made her throat tighten a little in nervous anticipation. Was he going to kiss her? It sure looked like it. What should she do? Would it be wrong of her to pull away? Or what about redirecting it to the cheek instead?

Without much warning, Kakashi suddenly ruffled her hair and stepped away, grinning smugly at her as she scowled back with her hair strewn across her face. "G'night!" he called before turning and walking away.

Sakura didn't know which was stronger, the urge to punch him for messing her hair up further or the relief that he hadn't kissed her. And why did it feel like she was disappointed? What did she have to feel disappointed about? Sighing heavily, she made her way inside the apartment building, waving to the elderly shinobi now serving as a security guard. He smiled and waved back, a knowing look on his face that made her cheeks burn up. Tomorrow, she'd have to talk to Ino about what to do now. This was getting waaaay more complicated than she'd thought it would be!

* * *

Author Rant Session: Oh. My. God. No one will believe the absolute HELL it was getting this chapter around! I had it all typed and pretty, ready for posting… and then freakin' Vista went and killed my lap top. Seriously, I had to go and replace the hard drive. And THEN it was a total bitch trying to find this chapter, only realizing AFTER I found it that I needed to download a converter program for it to run on my new writing software… Yeah, needless to say I hate this chapter.

And that is the rant session for today. Thank you. –curtsies-


	5. Something To Talk About

Thanks to Godsspiker for the AWESOME fan art! Go check out her website link to see it for yourself. It's utterly drool worthy!

* * *

Sakura shrieked as the curtains blocking her windows were suddenly shoved open to allow the early morning light to blind her through her closed eyelids. "INO! DAMN IT ALL!" she shouted as she whipped a small pillow in the direction of the other girl's snicker.

"What's wrong, Sakura, didn't get enough sleep last night?" Ino taunted as her roommate stuffed her head under the collection of pillows pushed to one corner. A wicked light came to her eyes as she wormed her hands under the blankets to latch onto Sakura's bare ankles.

"AHHH! COLD! Get 'em off me, Pig!" Sakura screamed, squirming and kicking to get Ino's ice cold hands off of her legs. Snarling, she twisted around until she was sitting up and grabbed another pillow to beat the evil blonde with. "You. Are. Sick!" Each word was punctuated with a blow from the pillow, forcing the other girl to retreat with her arm raised protectively. She only stopped when Ino moved out of range, laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world to put freezing cold hands on a sleeping person's ankles.

Huffing, Sakura flopped back on the bed and hugged the abused pillow to her chest, glaring as Ino all but howled with laughter. Her scowl turned into a look of homicidal intent when she glanced at the clock and saw it was only seven in the morning. Damn it, she had training with Tsunade today! She could have had an extra hour of sleep, but nooooo! Ino-Pig had to wake her up for the _third time_ in one week!

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Ino very wisely opted to sit on the bench at the foot of Sakura's bed rather than on the bed itself. She knew very well what a chakra infused kick felt like and didn't really want to feel it again, thanks. "Well, what do you expect when you go straight to bed without telling me how it went?" she chided, her grin widening further at the furious glare from the pink haired girl. "C'mon, I'm dying to know what happened!"

"Then just go and die already," Sakura snapped back. "I'm tired and I've got my session with Tsunade-sama today. You're just damned lucky I don't sleep with a kunai!"

"You don't sleep with anything, Forehead," the blonde girl joked before ducking the pillow flung at her head. "Since you're already trying to seduce Kakashi-sensei, why don't you fix that and sleep with him while you're at it?"

"_INO! OUT! __**NOW!**__"_

Still chuckling, Ino stood and waved over her shoulder at the seething, trembling mass of rage that was Haruno Sakura. She knew when enough was enough. It was too bad Sakura didn't know how to take a joke. Now, she'd be damned lucky if she heard about last night's date. "Remember, we're going out for dinner tonight with Hinata. Don't be late, Sakura-chaaaaan!" Ino shut the door just in time to block the barrage of pillows flung in her direction.

* * *

Stupid Ino... waking her up and saying things like that! Sakura's scowl deepened as she walked down the hall leading to the Hokage's office at a quick pace. Not only had she been woken up rudely _again_ but now she was running late and as a result of that she hadn't had breakfast. Manipulating chakra first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and with a sleep deprived brain was not fun.

And now, thanks to Ino, she had _that_ plaguing her thoughts. As if she'd have sex with Kakashi! Just who did Ino think she was talking to anyway? To actually suggest _sleeping_ with Kakashi… She could barely get her head around the fact that she might actually have to kiss him! Not to mention all the rumors she was certain would be starting any day now. There was no way she could keep it a secret that she was dating Hatake Kakashi, _the_ Copy Nin.

Sakura paused and took a deep breath to calm herself down before knocking on the door to the Hokage's office. A few seconds passed, which allowed her more time to cool off from her morning, when the door slid open as Shizune stepped back with a smile to let her in. Sakura blinked in surprise to see the Hokage's assistant back in the office. When had Shizune returned? "I didn't know you were back, Shizune!"

Laughing, the dark haired woman shrugged and nodded subtly back toward Tsunade. "I was here all yesterday straightening the office out. Remind me later to go over how exactly the Hokage's desk is to be organized so it doesn't get so disheveled, okay?"

"I will. I'm glad you're home. It wasn't too difficult was it?" Sakura stepped into the office and waited for Shizune to close the door.

Shizune's nose wrinkled as she teetered her hand back and forth. "It was a little difficult considering I haven't actually been on a mission in quite some time, but nothing too bad. The only real injury came at the end of the mission when one of my team mates twisted his ankle up pretty good. Unfortunately, my chakra was a little too low to do anything for him, so he had to make do."

"If you're done gossiping," Tsunade snapped from the general area of the couch that faced out toward the balcony. "I need a few words with Sakura alone. Shizune!"

"Yes, ma'am?" Shizune practically snapped to attention under Tsunade's sharp tone.

"Have the mission requests sorted and on my desk by five. I also want a written status report on the reconnaissance done at the borders of Mist by five as well, or there will be hell to pay. Oh, and one more thing... water. Lots of it. And get that before doing anything else."

Sakura and Shizune exchanged glances at the last request, the younger girl fighting not to smile while the older one shook her head disapprovingly. Whenever Tsunade made a request for water, lots of it, that meant she'd been drinking the night before and was trying to beat back the hangover. A little bit of chakra used at the temples would have worked just as well... but Tsunade didn't have the focus to use it on herself and neither of her students had the compassion to do it for her.

Sighing, Shizune bowed in the general direction of where Tsunade was probably stretched on a couch and murmured, "Yes, Hokage." Still frowning, she edged out of the room quickly to get the requested water. The door closed softly after her, leaving Sakura alone with her hung over mentor.

"C'mere, Sakura. And keep your voice down," Tsunade practically groaned, her hand appearing over the back of the couch to beckon the girl closer.

Slightly irritated that Tsunade was in the condition she was, Sakura went over to her and stood before the prone woman. "Shishou?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a disapproving brow as Tsunade blinked blearily up at her.

"Oh, don't give me that look," the Hokage muttered grumpily. "It was a productive evening."

"Yeah, with a sake bottle," she snapped back. "Where did you find it anyway?"

Tsunade managed a brief chuckle and waggled her finger in Sakura's direction. "Wouldn't _you _like to know, Pink? There's no way I'm telling you. Next time, you won't hide it there!"

"Fine. Shizune-san and I will just go through every hiding place we have and find the one that's missing."

"...Damn."

Grinning at her teacher's dismay, Sakura sat on the edge of the table, purposely placing herself between Tsunade's squinting eyes and the sunlight streaming through the open balcony. The gesture wasn't at all lost on the older woman, who smiled her thanks and patted Sakura's knee in a display of affection. "Shizune opened them, claiming to get some fresh air in here. I think she just wants to make me suffer."

"Mm... maybe. So, what did you want to talk about, Shishou?"

Tsunade's eyebrows rose, her bloodshot amber eyes giving Sakura a surprised look. "What else would I want to talk about? How is it going with the mission I gave you?"

"Okay... I guess. I don't have any books yet, if that's what you want to know," she answered, running her finger tips back and forth along the edge of the tabletop idly.

"Shizune saw you last night with him. She said you two looked like splattered fireflies."

"She did _not_ say that!" Sakura yelped indignantly. Then, it hit her what exactly Tsunade had said and all the fight was immediately sucked right out of her. She'd been seen on her date with Kakashi. Great... the rumors were going to start already. She was beginning to think a year of midnight shifts wouldn't be that bad after all.

"Fine, fine, she didn't. I was paraphrasing, and keep your voice down. Sweet mercy..." Tsunade cringed, momentarily pressing one hand over her eyes to relieve the ache caused by Sakura's raised voice. "So," she continued after the headache resided to a dull throb. "I take it you're at least making some progress then?"

Sakura shrugged indifferently and continued rubbing her fingertips along the table top. "I guess. Last night was only the second date but he seems to be interested. It's just... Shishou, I don't think I can do this after all."

Tsunade smiled wryly and lifted her hand enough to meet Sakura's earnest gaze. "Are you saying you want to work all those graveyard shifts then?"

An angry red tinted her cheek as her green eyes snapped fiercely at the amused woman. "No, and it's really low to blackmail me like that!"

Completely unsympathetic, the Hokage sighed and patted Sakura's knee again. "If I didn't think you could do it, Sakura, I wouldn't have bothered asking. But my gut's telling me that something else is going on instead."

The silence and the deepening of color to her cheeks told Tsunade she was dead on. She couldn't help chuckling to herself despite the fact that it set her head to hurting once again. "Keep your head together, girl. It's not like you to get distracted so easily."

"I'm not distracted! What could possibly make you think that?" Sakura said, speaking much too quickly.

Tsunade smiled weakly again and was about to answer when Shizune slid the door open and came over with a large container of water in one hand and what looked like plain rice balls on a plate in the other. "We'll talk more later, Sakura-chan. Now, get out of here since I'm not in any condition to teach you a blasted thing. And be here promptly tomorrow morning, got it?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," she muttered back, embarrassed once again that she'd been late in the first place.

"Out of all the habits of Kakashi's to wear off on you, you _had_ to choose his timing," Tsunade teased, earning her a glare from her student.

Sakura chose just that moment to stand up and move out of the way, allowing the sunlight to hit the hung over Hokage's eyes dead on. The sharply inhaled hiss of breath and the choked off cursing made the girl smirk as she rounded the couch and headed for the door. Groaning and covering her eyes with her hand again, Tsunade waved Sakura off, uncaring that the girl was already half way across the room and moving quickly for the door.

As soon as the office door was closed again, Shizune cleared her throat as she settled the water and rice balls on the table within reaching distance of Tsunade. "Forgive me, Tsunade-sama, but I was wondering how you felt about Sakura-chan seeing Hatake Kakashi on a more personal level," she said quietly, standing a respectful distance away from the older woman with her hands folded before her neatly.

Arching a brow and lifting her head just enough to look at Shizune, Tsunade managed a very convincing look of surprise. "Why should I care one way or the other who she's dating? Seeing as I just heard about it from you, I haven't had the chance to even think about forming an opinion."

"I'm a little surprised you didn't know already. Considering that you changed her schedule around so drastically." There was a shrewd look to Shizune's dark eyes that said she guessed that the Hokage was somehow involved with the topic of discussion.

"A coincidence, I assure you. I thought perhaps she needed a small break from working so hard, but had I known she was using the time to play around I would have reconsidered. Well, so long as it doesn't affect how either of them perform for missions, I don't see why it should be a problem. However, if you want to invite Kakashi up for a _talk_..." She affected a wicked smile to let the other woman know just what kind of talk she was referring to.

A smile came to Shizune's face as her shoulder dropped ever so slightly. Giving a relieved sigh, she said softly, "Thank goodness! For a moment, I truly suspected that you had a hand in this rather sudden love match. Seeing as you didn't, I can't find an objection to Sakura-chan dating Kakashi-san."

Smirking, Tsunade settled back against her couch again and draped her arm over her eyes. "We'll just sit back and see what happens for now. And if he does something stupid… then we'll step in. Sound good to you?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade sat up slowly, wincing as the sudden change in altitude hit her aching head. She downed half the container of water in three large gulps, sighing contentedly as she sank back against the couch. "Since I'm obviously unable to oversee Sakura's lessons today, she's at your disposal. Use her how you see fit."

Bowing respectfully to the Hokage, Shizune smiled before leaving the office. Tsunade sighed again, this time out of relief. It had been a close call, but she'd miraculously escaped the morning without a lecture from Shizune about her habits. Perhaps there was a god after all.

* * *

Shizune caught the door to the records room with her hip while adjusting her grip on the stack of charts tucked precariously against her chest. Sakura moved quickly by her, her lips pressed in a firm line of concentration as she hurried set the stack of charts on the table for sorting. Tsunade thought she was insane because she liked doing paperwork and organizing everything, but Shizune couldn't help it. It was thrilling, in a way, to take the everyday chaos that was a hospital and force it into some semblance of balance and control.

Fortunately for her, Sakura had proven that she was just as precise about keeping things where they belonged as well. Whenever the girl wasn't busy with her rounds at the hospital, she occupied herself with all the various organizational tasks that came with being a medic. It was a true blessing to Shizune that the Hokage's apprentice wasn't just another sixteen-year-old girl with little care for anything except her appearance. She'd been leery at first about taking on someone as young as Sakura… but Shizune was happy to admit she'd been proven wrong in that regard.

"Two more loads you think, Shizune-san?" Sakura asked with a huff of breath as she neatly separated her stack into two equal sized piles.

Shizune did the same with her charts as her lips twisted into a thoughtful pout. "Mm… Possibly. It might have to be three trips, but we can aim for two."

Sakura nodded, though it was obvious from the disappointed flicker to her eyes that she'd been hoping for only two more. Sighing, she swiped her hands across her skirt and put on a cheerful smile. "Well, I suppose we should just get it all done and over with then!"

Smiling back, the older woman led the way from the storage room and back through the winding halls of the hospital to her own little office. Her office had been made even more cramped that week when the front desk workers had begun going through the charts up front to get rid of any irrelevant patient information. For some reason, everyone thought the unnecessary charts should be placed in her office rather than direction into the archival room. It was a very annoying habit but one Shizune and Tsunade both had failed to break everyone from.

This was why she and Sakura were now moving those charts to the archives room where they belonged. The archives room was located at a relatively unused wing in the hospital and was basically one gigantic room full of shelves. Each shelving unit of charts was organized between ninja and civilian. Both were organized alphabetically of course, but the ninja one was broken down even further by active, non-active and deceased. Every three years, the deceased category was weeded out and the oldest files destroyed completely after being read to make certain any unique procedures were documented into the master files.

Gathering that information from the charts had become Shizune's long term goal as well as one of her favorite past times. It was so fascinating to her to read about the different techniques used to perform certain procedures. Genma thought there was something wrong about her enjoying her work to the point of bringing it home. If he only knew the amount of information that she'd uncovered though… well, he still wouldn't be interested.

Shizune was just about to open her office door when someone called out from down the hall, "Shizune! Hey, do you have a minute?"

Motioning for Sakura to proceed her and load up with charts, Shizune turned to see who was addressing her. A bright smile spread across her cheeks when she saw Kurenai walking quickly toward her. Kurenai had been the first female friend she'd made upon returning to Konoha. The two of them had actually met at Asuma's birthday almost a year and a half ago. While Genma and Asuma had been busy singing loudly (and off key) on top of the bar, she and Kurenai had sat at a corner table and pretended they hadn't known either man.

"Kurenai, what a pleasant surprise," Shizune greeted as the other woman jogged down the hall toward her. Sakura edged past them, glowering slightly when it became evident Shizune wasn't going to be making this trip with her. Smiling to reassure the younger girl, she added, "I'll take the rest of them, Sakura, if you want to get started sorting them out."

Nodding her agreement and looking a little appeased, Sakura hurried down the hall with her bundle of charts.

"I was hoping to catch you before you were too swamped with catch up work," Kurenai said a little breathlessly once Sakura was out of earshot. "Do you have a minute to spare?"

The slightly nervous look to Kurenai's eyes made Shizune's skin run cold. Something had happened. Something that had her friend scared to the point of looking like she was going to be sick. Nodding quickly, Shizune stepped inside her office and shut the door once Kurenai was inside. "What can I do for you, Kurenai?" she asked softly, guiding the other woman to one of the chairs with a gentle grip on her elbow.

The look on Kurenai's face made Shizune swallow as she took the other seat. Her eyes, an unusual shade of brown that looked almost crimson in certain lighting, were wide and shining with unshed tears. While naturally pale, her cheeks were now almost ashen. Shizune's stomach lurched with worry as she reached out and rubbed Kurenai's arm soothingly. "Hey... what happened?" she asked softly.

Kurenai swallowed heavily as she took a shallow, shuddering breath. "Shizune," she began in a choked voice. The area around her eyes was beginning to redden, as was the tip of her nose as she sniffled. Shizune reached out and settled her arm around Kurenai's shoulders, offering whatever comfort she could while her friend struggled to find her words.

"Kurenai, what is it?" Shizune pressed as she knelt in front of her friend and began stroking her soft, curling hair away from her face gently. It wasn't like Kurenai to be so worked up. Whatever it was, it had to be pretty awful to get the normally collected woman to break down.

"I-I... Shizune, I think I might... I...," Kurenai couldn't finish what she was trying to say, opting instead to close her eyes and shake her head miserably. She wiped the back of her shaking hand across her eyes, her breaths coming in short, choked gasps that weren't allowing her enough air to speak.

Fortunately for her, Shizune pieced together what she was trying to say. Eyes widening and her own breath catching a little, Shizune swallowed and nodded resolutely. "I see. How late are you?"

"Two weeks," Kurenai answered quietly, her fingers twisting nervously into her skirt. "We were so careful, Shizune. Asuma and I... How did this happen?"

"Well... contraceptives aren't completely foolproof. Especially if all you were using were condoms." This was exactly why Genma not only used condoms when they had sex but why she was also religious about the chakra procedure that prevented pregnancy in women. Originally, it was used to protect women who were unable to give birth to children for medical purposes, but the procedure worked very well as a method of birth control as well.

Kurenai groaned and clutched her hands together in her lap so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Shizune... can you tell if... Is it too early to tell?"

Shizune smiled gently at the desperation on her friend's face and used her thumb to wipe a few tears from her cheek. "No, it's not. It can be tricky at such an early stage, especially if the mother's chakra signature is particularly strong, but it _is_ possible to detect the baby. Do you want me to try?"

Hesitating only the briefest of moments, Kurenai nodded and gave Shizune a weak twist of lips. Giving her cheek one final caress, Shizune settled her hand on Kurenai's flat stomach and released the barest thread of chakra into the other woman's body. Kurenai stiffened at first to the feel of someone else's energy flowing inside her, but she forced herself to relax as Shizune began her examination.

Frowning in concentration, Shizune very carefully searched for signs of foreign chakra inside Kurenai's womb. Part of why it was difficult to tell if a woman was pregnant through chakra use at such an early stage was because of how frail the new life was. Even the slightest imbalance in the energy surrounding it could harm it irreparably if done incorrectly. It required precision chakra control to do the task, which was something she excelled at.

Shizune's eyes widened when she finally felt it, the barest spark that differentiated itself from Kurenai's energy. It was so minuscule that had she not been looking for it she would have easily overlooked it. Pulling back her chakra as quickly and as carefully as she could, Shizune removed her hand from Kurenai's stomach and met wide, anxious crimson toned eyes.

"Well?" Kurenai asked, though it was obvious from the paling of her skin that she already guessed the answer.

Shizune couldn't have kept her smile back if she'd been inclined to try. "Kurenai... you're a mother," she breathed out excitedly. While children weren't in her plans anytime soon, she was truly happy when people she knew would make wonderful parents conceived. Kurenai and Asuma were two of such people.

"I... I'm going to be a mother?" she whispered back, her own eyes widening as she pressed a hand to her stomach.

"Yes," Shizune laughed, shaking Kurenai's shoulder lightly to break her from her daze. "You're going to have a baby! Kurenai, you have to tell Asuma!"

Kurenai blinked numbly, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "But... I'm a kunoichi. I can't have a baby!"

"I hate to tell you this, but kunoichi have uteruses just like every other woman in the world. With few exceptions, we _can_ still get pregnant."

Her comment was met with an irritated roll of eyes. "That's not what I meant," the other woman muttered.

Shizune smiled and ignored her bad humor. "I know what you meant, Kurenai. You're concerned about what to do about your job as a ninja."

"Yes! I can't go on missions with a baby in me!" Kurenai exclaimed. "I'm not even sure if they'd let me still teach. Maybe at the Academy level... I'll have to ask the Hokage about this. Eventually."

Shizune couldn't help smiling at her friend's growing irritation with her condition as warmth filled her chest. "So you're going to keep it then?" she murmured, drawing a startled look from Kurenai at her question.

"Of course I am! Why would you ever ask something like that?"

Shrugging, Shizune rubbed one hand down her own arm as she glanced away sadly. "A lot of kunoichi opt to abort rather than give up on their life to raise a child. It's more common than you might think, actually."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Shizune continued to stare at the floor. "Did you have anything to do with that?" she asked.

Shizune shook her head and ventured a glance up at her friend's face. "I've been asked more times than I can remember to simply 'get rid of it'... but I've never gone through with it. How can I when the baby has no say in whether it will live or die? So, I'm sure you can understand why it makes me happy to hear you won't be going down that road."

Snorting as a rather intimidating look came to her face, Kurenai said fiercely, "There's not a chance in hell of me _getting rid of_ this baby. Asuma would never forgive me if I did anyway. Regardless of what he wants, I would never harm anything that he had a hand in creating. This is _our_ baby."

Laughing and dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve, Shizune stood up and pulled Kurenai to her feet. "Kurenai... you're going to have a baby!" she repeated, this time with a good deal less awe and a great deal more happiness.

Kurenai grinned and hugged her arms across her stomach with a loving look to her face. "I honestly don't know why I was so freaked out before, Shizune. But now... damn, I'm going to have a baby!" Her expression sobered briefly as she grabbed Shizune's hand in a firm grip. "Don't tell anyone, please. Not unless Asuma agrees to say something."

"I understand," she replied, patting Kurenai's hand reassuringly. And she did, too. As the son to the former Hokage, Asuma was constantly under public scrutiny. Everything he did was watched very keenly by everyone within Konoha, especially those of higher ranking. It was one of the reasons that he and Kurenai had kept their relationship so secretive. They hadn't even risked having a real wedding for fear of having their privacy invaded too much. It had been a simple exchanging of rings one evening with only their closest friends present to bear witness and nothing more. While Kurenai was by no means an unworthy match for Asuma, the village elders were keen to fix him with a woman of a more notable status.

Relief swept over her features before Kurenai leaned in and gave Shizune a warm hug. "Thanks," she whispered before drawing back with a little laugh. "I guess now I have an excuse to eat all the ice cream I want."

"Actually, did you know it's not good for the baby to eat ice cream?" Shizune replied before grinning at the horrified look on Kurenai's face.

"Don't even joke about that! I _will_ be eating ice cream, and if this kid has any problem with that... he can just deal with it!"

Shizune laughed and settled her arm around Kurenai's waist as she guided the woman out of her office once again. "Spoken like a true mom, Kurenai!"

"Yeah... here's hoping the dad is completely on board with this, too," the mom-to-be muttered nervously. Shizune smiled and gave Kurenai a reassuring squeeze. She really couldn't understand what the other woman was so nervous about. Asuma was a very caring and understanding man, from what she knew of him. She refused to believe he wouldn't be thrilled to learn that they were going to have a baby.

Or... at least that's what she was desperately hoping for, for the sake of Kurenai and the unborn child. The happy romantic in her was trying very hard to beat down the cynical medic that kept reminding her how a good portion of the kunoichi that had decided to keep the baby ended up doing so alone because their partner didn't want any part of it. She sighed softly and continued to smile for Kurenai while praying with all her heart that Asuma wouldn't shatter her opinion of him.

* * *

"Sakura! Over here!"

Sakura scanned the crowded restaurant for where Ino's voice had come from. She caught sight of the blonde wildly waving her hand from a corner booth and began making her way back toward their table. When she finally reached them, she purposely sat next to Hinata, smiling as the other girl gave her a shy greeting and obligingly moved over to give her room. Yes, she was still pissed about what had happened that morning and she wanted to make it very clear to Ino that she was.

Ino rolled her eyes and matched Sakura's glare with one of her own. "Oh, please! Are you seriously still fuming over that?" she demanded irritably.

"Gee, what makes you think that?" Sakura shot back dryly.

"Come on! I was only kidding! Besides, Tsunade-sama cancelled the training today. So really, you shouldn't be so sore seeing as you didn't have anything to do today."

"Just because I didn't train with Tsunade-sama doesn't mean I didn't do any work, Pig," the pink haired girl seethed. "I ended up running around with Shizune instead!"

Ino huffed and slumped back on her side of the booth, folding her arms under her breasts and scowling. Hinata, who very wisely opted to stay out of their spat, was gazing from one to the other with wide, startled eyes. It was always so frightening when those two were arguing. She really wished there was something she could do to ease the tension... but she didn't want to interrupt and have that negativity turned onto her.

"I was only teasing you about sleeping with Kakashi," Ino grumbled, causing Hinata to gasp and blush darkly at her words.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT SAY THAT AGAIN!" Sakura shrieked, causing the people around them to stop everything and stare at their table nervously.

"And I don't see what the big deal is!" Ino shouted back, slamming her palms on the table top hard enough to upset the salt and pepper shakers. Hands shaking a little, Hinata returned the shakers to their upright positions and shrunk as far as she could into the corner of the booth.

Sakura gave an annoyed growl and flopped back in her own seat. The angry puff of breath she released blew a few stray pieces of hair out of her eyes as she glared angrily at the wall. Ino in turn redirected her glare in the opposite direction, neither girl willing to talk any further.

Hinata shifted nervously in her corner and cleared her throat lightly as she prepared to cut into the tense conversation. "I-I'm sorry?" she whispered.

Both Ino and Sakura turned to look at her in confusion. Blushing and squirming a little under such close scrutiny, Hinata continued softly, "Maybe... we should reschedule? I-I don't want you to feel obligated to be in each other's company when you... well..."

Ino sighed heavily as her shoulders curled forward ever so slightly. A guilty look washed across her face as she mumbled, "No... We're sorry, Hina-chan. This has nothing to do with you. See, Forehead here can't take a joke-,"

"Hey!" Sakura snapped, her irritation returning instantly.

"-and I don't know when to quit picking on her," Ino finished, her blue eyes silently telling Sakura to shut up and let her finish speaking.

Sakura's cheeks were a little pink as she caught her lower lip between her teeth and pressed her palms flat against the table top. "We didn't mean to ruin dinner, Hinata," she added.

"O-Oh! You didn't," Hinata said quickly, horrified at the very idea. "I...I still want to have dinner. If that's alright?"

Grinning, Ino slid a menu across to Sakura and opened hers up to start looking over. "That's more than alright with me! Though, I probably won't eat that much. I'm trying to diet."

"Again?" Sakura complained as she scanned her menu.

"Whaddya mean again? This is the same diet I've been on for the last six months!"

"If it hasn't worked by now, don't you think it's kind of a bust?" the pink hair girl mused, her smirk hidden behind her menu. Retribution was such a lovely thing!

The grinding of Ino's teeth could be heard over the sounds of the restaurant around them. "It is _not_ a bust! The edame and tofu diet has been proven to work!"

"Then why bother looking at the menu at all if you're just gonna get edame and tofu?"

"Because I like looking at the stuff I can't eat, that's why!"

Sakura made a disdainful sound at her reply. "Sounds a little masochistic to me," she remarked coolly.

Hinata gave a startled 'eep' as Ino let out a low growl and leaned threateningly across the table. "Look, Forehead, you're really pushing my last-,"

The waitress chose just that moment to come up to their table with a smile and a pad of paper for their orders. "Do you girls know what you'd like yet, or are you still looking?" she asked brightly.

"Well, _I _know what I'd like," Ino replied with a pointed look at her roommate. Sakura stuck her tongue out in retaliation before flipping through the menu quickly to pick something out. Smiling back at the waitress, the blonde said sweetly, "I'd like a plate of edame and tofu, please. Steamed."

Arching a brow and wearing an expression that said she was hoping Ino's order was a joke, she shook her heard and mumbled, "Of course. And for you?" She directed the question at Hinata, who gave a start at being addressed so soon.

"Oh... um, may I please have fried shrimp and miso soup?" she asked as she handed the menu back to the waitress. The woman nodded and wrote the order down while Ino's nose wrinkled at the thought of fried food.

"And I'll have the... seaweed salad with chicken," Sakura finished, passing her menu to the waitress after she'd finished adding the order.

Smiling, the waitress said, "I'll get this going for you girls then." She hurried away from the table and disappeared behind a swinging door that led to the kitchen.

"Sooo... how's it going with Kakashi anyway?" Ino drawled, her eyes sparking mischievously as Sakura fixed a hard stare on her.

"Yes, I was curious about that as well," Hinata chimed in curiously, smiling softly. She never would have had the nerve to do what Sakura was doing. To seduce a man fourteen years her senior... No, she couldn't do it. She was very curious to see how Sakura was handling the ordeal.

Sighing, Sakura leaned back against the booth and shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I mean, it's not like I have much to compare notes with since this is, like... the third guy I've ever dated. He's definitely more fun than I was expecting. And he doesn't act like a pervert either, which is beyond shocking, I know. Plus, he's... what?" She stopped when she noticed her two companions gaping at her.

"Sakura... do you actually _like_ Kakashi?" Ino asked as a slow, knowing smile began to curve across her lips.

Sakura scrunched her nose at the idea and resisted the urge to kick Ino under the table. "Just because I said he was fun that doesn't mean I _like_ him! Geeze, Ino..."

"I'm just saying, it sounds a bit like you do from the way you were talking about him. Don't you agree, Hina-chan?"

Hinata gave the barest of nods, flinching a little as Sakura let out an exasperated groan. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I agree with Ino. I-It does sound a bit like you...well..."

"Aw, come _on_, you guys!" Sakura exclaimed, propping her elbows on the table to hide her face in her palms. "All I meant was that dating him isn't as bad as I thought it would be. That doesn't mean I wanna have sex with him! Besides... I'm not sure the plan is working anyway."

Ino paused in sipping her water to give Sakura's covered face a confused look. "Huh? Why not?" she asked.

Sakura lowered her hands to the tabletop and sighed dismally. "How am I supposed to get those stupid books without him noticing?"

"Sakura. You've only gone on two dates. You have six months to get _Icha Icha_. There's plenty of time to make this work," Ino reasoned.

"She's right, Sakura," Hinata agreed, smiling reassuringly as Sakura glanced her way. "In order for this to work, you _must_ earn his trust. That's something that takes a little time."

"I knooooow," the pink haired girl groaned. "But I don't think he'd just let me have them even _if_ I gained his trust. Look at what he did to Genma, and they're friends!"

Ino rubbed her eyes as a small migraine began to take shape. Great... just what she _didn't_ need right then! "We'll think of something, don't worry. Just don't get frustrated and try to make a move too- you did, didn't you? You tried to get a book already?" It was the grimace on Sakura's face that prompted Ino to ask.

Sakura's cheeks rivaled her hair for color as she mumbled, "Maybe." Then, in a louder voice and as if she were trying to defend herself under Ino's disparaging expression, she added hastily, "But it didn't work, and I covered it up!"

"What did you do, exactly?" Ino demanded.

"Well... last night, we played paintball tag," she began, shifting a little under Ino's stern gaze. "And at one point, he was hugging me-,"

"-He... He did?" Hinata interrupted, her eyes rounding in surprise.

"-Not like a _real _hug, Hinata," Sakura corrected. "It was more like we were wrestling and he kind of... I don't know, was trying to pin me. Anyway, while he was doing that, I went to grab the book from his back... and it wasn't there."

"Wait... he didn't _have it?_ He _always_ carries that thing with him!" Ino interjected. Hinata's eyes had gotten impossibly wider and her jaw was slack from shock.

"I know!" Sakura replied, just as shocked as her companions were. "So, just in case he noticed I was searching for something, I pretended I'd checked his supply of paintballs. Thank _God_ he really was empty, otherwise I would have been so screwed!"

Ino snorted, a small smile touching her lips as she shook her head in amazement. "You got really lucky, Forehead. But good cover."

Beaming at her own cleverness, Sakura leaned back as the waitress returned with their orders. She waited until the woman left once again before continuing. "But that's the problem, Ino. If he doesn't bring the books with him, then dating him is pointless."

"Sakura, even if he _did_, it wouldn't do you any good."

"Huh? Why not?"

Hinata paused in blowing across her spoonful of soup to explain, saying, "Because Kakashi-san would notice very quickly if his books started disappearing every time he was out with you."

"Bingo!" Ino exclaimed, grinning at Hinata for saying exactly what she was thinking. "Stealing isn't an option here. You need to get _inside_ his home to take them all at once. Like a raid operation. If you start taking individual books, it's not gonna take him long to know you're behind it. And then he's gonna bring the wrath of hell on your ass."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror as all color drained from her face. Dropping her fork and shaking her head vehemently, the pink haired girl said in a voice that wouldn't allow any arguing, "Ooooh, no! No, no and NO! I am _not_ going home with him. _Ever!_ That's taking it way too far, Ino. It's bad enough I'm dating him under false pretenses, but I will _not_ sleep with him! There's gotta be another way to do this."

"Get your pink head outta the gutter," Ino sneered. "The only one here thinking about sleeping with Kakashi is _you!_ You know, it _is_ okay for a girl to go to a guy's house without fucking him."

"Ino!" Sakura shrieked, beyond amazed to hear her friend talk like that. Hinata's face was so red that it looked like she'd gone face first into a cherry pie.

Ino waved off her friends' shocked expressions airily. "Please, like you two haven't heard that word before! My point is, you _can_ get _Icha Icha Paradise_ by going over to his place sometime. But the only way you _can_ go over to his place is to gain his trust. And the only way _that's_ gonna happen is if you keep dating him. So... stick with it. And don't screw him. Or, if you do, you better give me _all_ the details." There was no doubt to either of her companions what 'other details' she was referring to.

"INO!" Sakura dropped her chopsticks entirely and pushed her plate away. She couldn't eat now. Forget killing Ino, all she wanted now was to die herself.

Ino popped a piece of tofu into her mouth before leaning across the table with an eager glint in her eyes. "So... is he a good kisser?" she asked with a snicker as Sakura's eyes narrowed in a silent warning.

"I wouldn't know," Sakura replied dryly. "We've only been on two dates, after all."

"And he hasn't tried to kiss you? What's wrong with him?"

Both Hinata and Sakura exchanged confused glances over the blonde's outrage. "I-Is it normal for a man to kiss a woman after only two dates?" Hinata asked quietly, the piece of shrimp completely forgotten between her fingers.

Ino rolled her eyes and gave a disdainful snort. "The first date, it's okay not to kiss. But the second one... Sakura, you need to kiss him."

"What? No!" she yelped.

"Stop being such a baby and just kiss him on the cheek the next time you guys go out. Maybe he doesn't think you're interested in him."

"Well, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are, Sakura! At least that's what you want him to believe, right?" Ino insisted. Honestly... sometimes Sakura could be so completely dense!

Sakura's lower lip turned downward and out a little. She knew Ino was right. Eventually, she _would_ have to kiss Kakashi, whether she initiated it or he did. Still pouting over the fact that Ino was right, Sakura mumbled, "What if I like it?"

It was Hinata who answered her question, her pale eyes reflecting her quiet understanding for Sakura's reluctance. "I don't know as much as Ino-chan does about romance... but I _do_ think it's okay if you like kissing Kakashi-san. If you enjoy it, then he will enjoy it just as much. O-Of course, I could be wrong..."

"No, you've got it right, Hina-chan," Ino confirmed, reaching across the table to give Sakura's hand a friendly squeeze. "Weren't you the one who said that just because you had fun on your dates with him that didn't mean you were falling for him? So, just because you kinda have to kiss Kakashi doesn't mean you aren't allowed to like it. Just... you better damn well give us details about it when you do!"

Sakura smiled weakly as she took a deep breath in and released it slowly. "Okay, okay... I'll do it. The next time Kakashi and I go out, I'll give him a kiss."

"That's my Forehead!" Ino laughed before snatching the check up as the waitress brought it over. "Dinner was my idea, so it's my treat." She dropped some money on the table and stood up, the other two following her lead.

"Thanks, Pig."

"Yes, thank you very much, Ino-chan."

Ino waved away their thanks breezily as they exited the restaurant and stepped out onto the street. "Don't worry about it. I know you'll both treat me sometime anyway." She flashed a grin and a wink to let them know she was kidding. She didn't want Hinata to think she was in debted to her and she'd had enough of Sakura's temper for one evening.

As was usual when the three of them went out together, they started off in the direction of Hinata's large apartment, a gift of sorts from her father when she'd found the nerve to ask him if she might live inside Konoha to be closer to her teammates. To everyone's surprise (especially Hinata's) Hyuuga Hiashi had agreed, claiming that living on her own would give her an opportunity to fend for herself, a trait that was needed for ruling the clan. And so, seeing as Hinata lived by herself, it only made sense that Ino and Sakura would see her home before backtracking to their own apartment. While Konoha was a safe place for them to live, there was still a need for safety in numbers. Especially when potential accosters were ninja like themselves.

The streets were fairly empty for that time in the evening. Only a few individuals and groups passed them as they went, many of them ducking into restaurants or one of the few bars in this area of town. This was nothing like where Kakashi had taken her on their first date, Sakura mused to herself. The atmosphere here was calmer, more relaxed...

"Hey, hey, girlies! Damn, you girls're hot!"

... But there were still obnoxious drunks. Sakura clenched her teeth and ignored the group of men stumbling across the street toward them. She noted that all of them wore the standard issued flak vests that most chuunin and jounin wore, but she couldn't see any weapons beyond the shuriken pouches on their thighs. There were seven of them total, which normally would have made her a little nervous. The fact that they were obviously drunk and barely able to stand tipped the scales in their favor if it came down to a fight or flight scenario.

She heard Hinata suck in a sharp breath and reached out to take the other girl's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. It didn't do anything to ease Hinata's concern. "Sakura... they're following us," she whispered. Sakura nodded but didn't turn to confirm whether this was true or not. They were making enough noise to be heard a mile away.

"Hey, didja hear me?" the first drunk repeated. Sakura's shoulder stiffened at the sound of fumbling steps moving much quicker and coming toward them.

"Sakura," Ino ground out between her clenched teeth. A glance at the blonde told her that Ino was getting pissed. Sakura subtly shook her head and began walking faster, which forced the other two to do the same. Tsunade had always said that the best thing to do when faced with a drunk person who refused to leave them alone was to ignore them and simply walk away calmly. Yeah... calmly. Okay. She could practically taste her heart in her throat!

"I said yer hot! 'Specially you, Blondie. Got some nice tits, don'tcha?"

Ino growled under her breath, her fingers curling into fists as she fought the urge to turn and beat the guy into fuzzy pudding. The only thing that stopped her was Sakura grabbing her wrist while picking up the pace and Hinata's terrified expression. None of the girls paid much attention to the group of people they shoved their way passed, their entire focus only on getting away from the men following them. They were so focused on getting away from their pursuers that they failed to notice two very curious gazes following after them.

"Stop 'norin' me, dammit!" the man persisted. There were a few shouts from people as the man followed them through the group, his footsteps heavy on the pavement as he began to pick up speed. Ino snarled angrily as a meaty hand clamped onto her shoulder and jerked her around.

Sakura winced at the smell of strong alcohol hitting her nose as she turned as well and shoved the man away from Ino. "Keep your hands to yourself, idiot," she snapped, instinctively placing herself between Ino and the man. Ino instead moved to her other side defiantly, anger blazing through her blue eyes as she studied the man swaying in front of them.

The man's bloodshot eyes darkened and an angry red tinge began to cover his face. "Ya bitch, I was just talkin' to her," he shouted, taking a half step toward her with his arm swinging back.

Sakura was just beginning to channel chakra into her fist when the man suddenly yelped in pain and dropped to his knees with his upraised arm twisted back at an awkward angle. Eyes wide, Sakura could do nothing but gape as a larger form pushed her back toward her friends. What in the...

"I think you're done talking to her tonight, don't you?" Asuma asked, his cigarette burning idly between his fingers as he stood his ground between the drunk man and his targets.

"Shit... I just wanna tell 'em they're hot," the man whined. His whine turned into another pained howl as Kakashi applied just a little more pressure to his grip on the man's arm.

"They're not interested," the copy nin said coolly. "Go home."

For once, Sakura couldn't have been more happy to see her former teacher. A heavy, relieved breath left her as she released the chakra she'd been gathering into her fist. She couldn't help grinning when she noticed that the rest of the group Kakashi had been with were now fanned out and keeping the other drunks from coming to their comrade's aid.

"'K-Kay," the man on his knees whimpered, his eyes squeezing shut as thin tears seeped from the corners.

Kakashi released the man and moved away casually while watching for any signs that the man was about to pull a weapon or attack. The man pushed to his feet, rotating his shoulder and wrist experimentally as he backed away toward his own friends again. As soon as he was passed the wall of jounin, he and the others half ran and half tripped as they hurried away from the scene.

As soon as they were out of sight, everyone relaxed again, some of the jounin muttering to themselves about what had just happened. Laughing shakily, Ino wipe the back of her hand across her brow and said, "Man, do you have awesome timing, Asuma-sensei! I thought for sure we were gonna have to take them on ourselves."

Asuma grinned at his former student as he sent a wisping of smoke out from between his lips. "You better not do something that stupid, Ino," he commented as Kakashi came over to join him. "Drunks don't think like normal people. Especially when there are pretty girls walking around by themselves."

"We weren't by ourselves," Sakura defended, blushing when she caught Kakashi's amused gaze. She shifted nervously under that stare, a scowl forming when she caught the sly look on Ino's face out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, I was going over to Hinata's to borrow a cookbook," the blonde began, grinning at the murderous glare Sakura was directing her way. "Sakura didn't want to go, but she couldn't very well just walk home by herself, now could she?"

Asuma arched a brow when Ino winked at him and looked pointedly from Sakura to Kakashi. It only took the bearded man a second longer before both eyebrows shot upward in surprise. No freakin' way... Hatake and the Hokage's apprentice? Wow! Clearing his throat, Asuma smirked and said, "That makes sense. Though I still don't like the idea of you and Sakura walking back by yourselves, Ino."

Ino shrugged and spread her hands out in a what-can-you-do gesture. "I had no intention of leaving Hinata's house. Sakura though..."

"Shut _up_, Pig!" Sakura ground out between clenched teeth. Meanwhile, poor Hinata was left wondering what exactly was going on... and whether or not she had the guest towels available for Ino's impromptu stay over.

"But Asuma-sensei has a point, Sakura," Ino insisted, feigning an innocent look that Sakura _really_ wanted to wipe clean with her fist. "It really isn't a good idea to walk home alone."

"I can take her," Kakashi offered, tucking his hands into his pockets and looking as if it didn't really matter one way or the other to him.

"You don't have to," Sakura said tightly.

The silver haired man gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "It's no trouble."

"But what about your friends? I don't want to interrupt your evening with them." Ino was going to die. She was going to die and it would be torturously slow.

He looked over his shoulder to where the rest of their companions were laughing and waiting for them. Then, with a beaming expression, complete with a happy eye crease, he said, "Oh, them? They're not my friends. Do you have anything else or can I walk you back to your place now?"

Sakura raised one brow and lifted her chin defiantly. "If I go then Ino and Hinata have to walk home alone, which everyone already agreed was a bad idea."

"I can go with them," Asuma offered after Ino landed a subtle (but painfully solid) elbow to his ribs. When a certain green eyed glare slid from his student to him, Asuma couldn't help but squirm a little as he rubbed his neck. Great… what had Ino gotten him into? Deciding it was about time they left, he caught the eye of someone in their group and called out, "Kakashi and I are canceling tonight, guys! We're gonna see that these girls get home okay."

"Need a hand with that?" one of the jounin joked, grinning as those around him snickered in response.

A wide grin broke across Asuma's face as he answered, "Nah, I think we've got it. See you!" He waved as the group continued on without them. Finishing his cigarette and flicking the butt away neatly, he jerked his head in the direction the three girls had been heading earlier. "Right, let's get outta here. Your house is this way, Hinata?"

"Y-Yes," she stammered as the perpetual blush shaded her cheeks once again as she gave a quick, polite bow. "Thank you so much, Asuma-san."

"Eh, no problem. Ino, you ready?"

Grinning, the blonde winked at him and said, "I'm _always_ ready, sensei. You know that!"

Chuckling, Asuma began walking away with Hinata and Ino right behind him. "Catch up with you later, Kakashi. Have a good evening, Sakura!"

"'Bye," Kakashi replied with a halfhearted attempt at waving. Once the threesome was out of ear shot, he released a small sigh and turned toward Sakura again. She was still staring after her friends and there was a look in her eyes like she was trying to split someone's head in half with a stare. He didn't need to guess at whose head it was. Well... her friend _did_ do him a service, though, whether she realized it or not. Anytime he could get her talking without being interrupted was a good thing.

She jumped when he took her hand in his and entwined their fingers together. Grinning as she looked down at their hands and promptly turned a new shade of pink he hadn't seen before (how many colors was it possible for her to turn anyway? Hmm...), he motioned in the opposite direction her friends were walking and said, "Shall we?"

Sakura nodded and fell into step beside him, trying to ignore the fact that he really _did_ have nice hands. She forced herself to smile and hoped that most of her irritation with Ino didn't show through. Fine... Ino thought this would be funny? She didn't think Sakura could handle having Kakashi walk her home? Well... she'd just have to prove her otherwise!


	6. Grab You Buy The Collar

Asuma waited until they were completely out of ear shot of Kakashi before dropping his arm over Ino's shoulder. The man's hearing was freakishly good and he didn't want to risk the wrath of the Copy Nin due to being overheard talking about him. "Alright, spill it. Why were you so keen to get those two alone?" he demanded of his former student.

Ino turned wide, innocent blue eyes up to him and gasped, "Why would you think I was trying to do that?"

Yeah... he didn't buy the innocent act. He hadn't since that time she'd conned him into carrying her shopping bags back to her parents' house for her. They had been full of bras, which he hadn't known until Ino proceeded to show them off to her mother… while Asuma was still holding the bag and trying very hard not to meet the cold glare from her father. Talk about an awkward first meeting. Asuma arched a brow as a mischievous grin crossed over the blonde's face. "Start talking, girl. Are you trying to set them up?"

"Nooo," Ino purred, leaning around him to catch Hinata's gaze. Asuma glanced at the much quieter (and more polite, thank God) girl and noticed she was subtly shaking her head to get Ino to stop speaking. "I'm not trying to set them up."

"Uh-huh. Ino, don't try and play one over on me. I've known you too long for that."

"But, Asuma-sensei, I'm really not trying to get them together!" she insisted.

"Why not? They looked cute as a couple," he pressed, already having suspected something between the two for a while now. It looked like that 'social visit' Sakura had paid Kakashi a few days back was a little more than that. And he was serious about his approval of them as a couple, too. The last time he'd actually seen Hatake Kakashi out with a woman was… oh, about a year ago? Something like that. That had been the jounin with a scratching fetish, as he recalled. The one with long, dark hair and a really annoying laugh. She'd only lasted a few weeks, which was fine with everyone who associated with Kakashi in a social sense. Even Gai had declared her annoying, which really said just how bad it was.

While Asuma didn't know Kakashi as well as Genma did, he _did_ know that the silver haired man was very selective about who shared his company and was incredibly guarded about his private life. In all the years he'd known Kakashi, Asuma could keep the count to both hands for how many women he'd seen the Copy Ninja in public with and one hand for how many he'd actually admitted to being in a relationship with. The relationships usually only lasted a few months, but Asuma had a feeling this time was different. He knew enough about Haruno Sakura from hearing Ino talk to know the pink haired girl wouldn't settle for anything but the long haul. It almost made him laugh to think this could be the end of Kakashi's bachelor lifestyle.

Ino giggled, her voice snapping Asuma out of his own musings on the subject. The expression on her face was positively wicked, which made him gulp in automatic reflex. It never boded well when Yamanaka Ino looked evil. "Oh, you think so? Well, in _that_ case, Asuma-sensei-,"

"- Ino... think of Sakura-chan," Hinata interjected nervously.

"I _am_ thinking about Forehead, Hinata! Can't you just imagine how sad she is, being unable to make their relationship known out of fear of what others will think? I mean, it must be _so hard_ for them to live like that."

Asuma twitched a little at her words, even though he knew they were partially being directed at him. Yeah, he could relate to that. He could relate to that a little too well, actually. Sometimes, it really sucked being an elite shinobi. Constant attention, rumors like mad... He hated the fact that only a few people knew he and Kurenai were married. She didn't deserve that. Why she'd ever said yes (and how he'd even worked up the nerve to ask) to him still remained unclear to him. Just the fact that she'd been wiling to keep it quiet and amongst their closest friends still floored him.

And now, if he was right about Ino's hinting, it looked like Kakashi was in the same boat. Kakashi was watched just as closely as he was, perhaps more so since most in Konoha were pegging him for Hokage someday. Not only were the village elders monitoring him as closely as he would allow but so were a good majority of the single kunoichi as well. A man with the potential to be the next Hokage was a very attractive thing to the ladies. Asuma could already imagine the cat fights that would break out when it was discovered Kakashi was dating again. Hopefully, the two of them would make it. Kakashi needed a little happiness in his life, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Sighing, Asuma gave Ino a one armed squeeze and muttered, "You're a good kid, Ino. But I think it'd be best to just leave them alone for now."

"But, sensei..." Ino grumbled as Asuma turned his head just enough to give her a warning glare, much like he used to when she would get out of line as a kid. Sighing, the blonde hung her head and muttered, "Fine. I get it. You're no fun, sensei."

Chuckling as he released her in favor of pulling out his cigarettes, Asuma replied, "Yeah, yeah. That's what happens when you get old, kiddo."

"Then you've been old since the day I met you."

"Ouch."

* * *

If he had actually planned all this... he couldn't have done a better job than Lady Luck had. He went from being wrangled into going to the bar by Asuma to walking Sakura home after scaring a drunk man away from her and her friends. Oh, he knew very well that her friend Ino was aware of the conditions under which they were dating. Unless Sakura hadn't told her... No, she probably did. Call it a hunch, but he suspected Ino was acting as a sort of 'technical advisor' to Sakura's plans.

Still... He owed the blonde some thanks for her not-so-subtle hints to Asuma. Now, he had Sakura alone and without the distractions that typically came with a date. This was the perfect opportunity to solidify the ground work he'd already laid, not to mention the chance to weed out a little information from her.

That is, _if_ he could get her to lighten up a little. She still looked ready to put someone's head through a wall and he could just imagine whose head it would be, too. A good thing Ino had gone in the opposite direction then, for her own sake. Otherwise, he had no doubt the blonde would find herself face planted into the cement before she could even think of an apology.

"Well, this is rather convenient," he said cheerfully in an effort to open the conversation on a light note.

"Oh?" she asked, staring at a window displaying the latest in ninja fashion. He never did understand why a ninja had to be fashionable but apparently there was a healthy market for it if there was an entire store devoted to the concept. He caught sight of her reflection in the glass and knew this was going to be harder than he thought. The frown on her face looked pretty permanent. Fortunately for him, there was nothing he loved more than a challenge.

He nodded as he stopped to let her window shop a little, pulling his hand free from hers to retrieve _Icha Icha _from the pouch at his back. He caught the flicker of her gaze toward the bright orange jacket out of the corner of his gaze. "Asuma just saved me the trouble of having to track you down tomorrow. Do you have a day off any time this week?"

Her jaw clenched tightly at the question but she forced a smile when she noticed he was watching her through the glass. "Sunday, actually," she answered. "Why?"

"That's perfect! I'll be away the following week on business, so if you don't have any plans yet do you want to do something?" He idly flipped to the next page in the book and pretended he didn't notice the way her eyes followed the movement. It had to be _Icha Icha Paradise_ she was after. He'd be willing to bet his next mission salary on it.

"Sure... I'm free. What do you have in mind?" It surprised him a little to see that she actually perked up at the idea, a genuine smile just barely making its self known through her eyes. Strange, he would have thought she'd been more upset over the question, especially considering how uneasy she'd been on their last date.

He chuckled and noted the suspicious glare she gave his own reflection at the sound. "Something different," he teased as he switched his book to the other hand before reaching to take hers. He continued to read as they began to walk again, smirking behind his mask as she continued to stare at his book. "Can you be ready by eleven?"

"Yeah, I can- eleven?" she exclaimed, turning to face him with an expression of utter disbelief.

He blinked in surprise at her outburst. "Too late in the day?"

"Uh... try too early," she said sarcastically. "Don't _you_ sleep in on your days off?"

Kakashi shrugged, which didn't really answer her question one way or the other. On the rare occasion that he didn't have anything to do... yes, he did sleep in. He wasn't going to tell her that his idea of sleeping in was until two in the afternoon, though. If he was going to sleep in, he was going to do it the right way and skip morning altogether. "So, is that a yes or a no?"

Sighing, Sakura shook her head and answered, "It's a yes, of course. This 'something different' better include breakfast. _And_ really strong tea."

Laughing quietly, Kakashi murmured back, "I'll see what I can do." Then, just to test her reaction, he used the hand that was clasped around hers to turn the page, allowing her fingertips to graze the barest amount against the paper.

Sakura's shoulders stiffened a little before she could stop herself. Then, her eyes narrowed as she gave him a shrewd look, as if she had a suspicion of what he'd been up to. "You know, it's awfully insulting to read when you're walking a girl home," she commented tightly.

Kakashi blinked innocently at her before following her pointed glare at his book. "Oh… Well, I was interrupted in the middle of the really good part earlier by your admirer. And seeing as you _do_ sort of owe me-,"

"_Owe you?_" she snapped hotly, jerking her hand free from his completely to slam her palm into his shoulder. Hard, too. The soothing rub he applied to it wasn't a show at all. He was certain there'd be a bruise there later. Since when was it fair to hide strength in a deceptively petite frame? "What the hell kind of thing to say is _that_?" she continued to rant, either unaware or uncaring that she'd bruised him. "You know, you're proof positive chivalry is dead!"

"Nooo… If that were the case, then I wouldn't have bothered walking you home at all," he replied cheerfully. There really had to be something wrong with him if he got a kick out of getting her figurative panties in a twist. Maybe he was getting masochistic in his old age.

Before Sakura could even begin to shout the irate response he could just tell was brewing on the tip of her tongue, Kakashi made a show of marking his place in the book and returning it to the pouch at his back. Spreading his arms out to the side in the classic gesture of being unarmed, he muttered dryly, "There. Is that better?" Really, he didn't see why she was making a big deal out of him reading and walking. She'd seen him do it often enough not to be surprised by it.

The anger simmering in her green eyes faded slightly as her lips twisted into a small pout. Her arms, which had been crossed over her chest, finally relaxed by her sides again as her shoulders curled forward in resignation. "You just said that to piss me off, didn't you?" she mumbled with a shake of her head.

Beaming at her, Kakashi lowered his arms and tucked his hands into his pockets with a shrug. "Maybe."

"You have got to be the most twisted individual I've ever met."

"And yet _you_ were the one to ask _me_ out. Where does that leave you?"

Sighing as she raked her fingers back through her short hair, Sakura muttered, "Needing therapy, apparently."

Chuckling at her comment, Kakashi reached out and brushed his fingers lightly over the back of her hand, the touch bringing out a spark of warmth in her gaze. She might not have been aware of it herself, but he knew very well what that look meant from a woman. She liked what he was doing. Smiling and completely pleased with her reaction, he motioned with his head in the direction of her apartment. "So, can this unchivalrous, twisted individual finish walking you home now?"

He could see the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, despite her best efforts to maintain her annoyed frown. Shrugging as if it didn't really matter one way or the other to her, Sakura replied, "I guess. At least you'll scare all the other crazies away. Everyone's afraid of someone further off the rocker than they are."

"You certainly know how to flatter a guy," he complained, but it was completely in jest. They continued walking down the street with their fingers entwined, which earned them shocked looks from those that recognized them. The fact that people were openly gaping at them didn't bother him one bit, though judging by the way her eyes darted around uneasily it did her a little. Oh, well. She had to have known what would happen from the start. People were going to see them together and were going to talk. There was only so much either of them could do about the speculations.

"So, how long did it take you to get all that paint out of your hair?" he joked, trying to draw her attention away from the passersby and back to their conversation.

"Long enough for me to decide paintball tag is _not_ as fun as I remembered," she shot back with a smile. "I ran out of hot water, if you must know."

"Ah, I see. I'm sure Ino really appreciated that."

"She deserves a cold shower every day for the rest of her life, as far as I'm concerned," she snorted, shooting a bitter glare over her shoulder in the direction her friend had left in. She glanced up at him hesitantly before twisting her hand free from his to cautiously slide across his lower back. Kakashi was momentarily surprised she'd taken such an initiative but obligingly settled his arm over her shoulders.

"Ouch. That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Normally, if this were someone he was pursuing for real this type of public display wouldn't have flown at all. He could never understand the couples that were all but draped over each other in the streets. It was this aversion to public snuggling that had led to more than his fair share of break ups in the past. But for some reason though… it wasn't quite so bad with Sakura. Maybe it was because she was much shorter than he was and therefore fit better against her side. Regardless of why, he had to admit that it wasn't as uncomfortable as it normally would have been.

He felt her thumb start rubbing small circles along the side of his hip, which cause his eyebrow to quirk upward. At first, he thought it was intentional, but a quick glance downward at her told him otherwise. If she'd been at all consciously rubbing his hip, she would have been watching him for a reaction. It was simply a reflexive action on her part, nothing more. Unfortunately, she was being reflexive on an area that was incredibly erotic for him. But there was no way she could have known that in advance. Was there? No… Not without digging up his past lovers and interrogating them for the information. He doubted very much Sakura would have had the gall to do that. So, it was an accident. A very _pleasant_ accident.

Clearing his throat a little, Kakashi asked in hopes of distracting himself from just how pleasant it actually was, "Sakura... we're not friends, are we?"

Sakura turned back to face him with wide, startled eyes. Her fingers stopped brushing along his hip, which actually left him feeling a little disappointed that he'd even spoken and relieved at the same time. "Huh? Why'd you ask that?"

"Because if that's how you treat your friends... I'm not sure I want to be one any longer. A cold shower every day for the rest of your life is something not even the ANBU interrogation squad would do." He grinned at the scowl that came to her face before quickly reaching around with his free hand to block the elbow aiming for his lungs.

"You're a real jerk, Kakashi-_sensei_," she complained, mockingly adding the honorific to his name while squirming to get him to loosen his hold. He obliged her, but only after he returned the favor by brushing his knuckles along the line of her neck. Warmth flared in her eyes again as a slight shudder ran down the length of her spine. He couldn't help smirking triumphantly at her reaction. It served her right for messing with his hot spot.

"And you're cute when you're angry, Cherry-chan," he replied with a healthy dose of cheerfulness to his voice.

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously at the new nickname, which caused him to chuckle outright. Obviously, she wasn't a big fan of it. "If you call me that again, I'm not gonna go out with you on Sunday," she threatened.

"Aww, but I rather liked that one," he pouted. He did, too. She looked adorable when she was ready to dish out some pain, even if it was being directed toward him at that moment. And really, what better way to irritate her than to give her a nickname like 'Cherry-chan'?

"I don't care. Don't call me that."

Sighing dramatically, Kakashi gave her a quick, one armed hug and grumbled jokingly, "Fine, I won't. But none of that sensei stuff from you, either. Not unless - Oops, hold still a second." He stopped walking and turned her to face him.

Sakura froze as he reached out with his free hand toward her hair. Kakashi heard her breath catch when his fingers slid back through the loose strands briefly before carefully sliding the fleck of blue he'd noticed from her hair. "What?" she asked, clearing her throat when the question came out a little hoarsely.

"Oh, nothing. Just a bit of blue that didn't belong there," Kakashi answered with a small laugh. "An escapee from the cold shower, it appears." He held his finger out to show her that it wasn't an excuse to get his hands in her hair. Well… not entirely at any rate. Whatever shampoo she used made her hair addictively soft. He'd have to find out what she used so he could buy it the next time Pakkun needed a bath.

She stared at the blue fleck almost as if she were in a daze before a series of rapid blinks seemed to return her to her senses. Taking a shaky breath, Sakura shook her head and curved her arm around his waist once again. When she moved forward, he did as well, though he noted she was moving more quickly now. He now added stroking her hair to the growing list of things she liked.

"So... you've got a mission next week?" she asked, trying to change the topic to business.

"Just a simple escort job," he confirmed. "It's nothing too serious, but he'd insisted on an elite team and even paid the money upfront."

"All of it?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup. Plus a bonus to compensate for traveling expenses. Naturally, Tsunade was very eager to take the job."

Sakura's brow furrowed as she turned to look up at him with a worried expression. "Aren't you concerned he's not telling you everything? I mean, if it's such an easy escort job, why's he insisting on someone of your caliber?"

Kakashi was very grateful his mask hid the touch of warmth to his cheeks at her compliment. He knew she wasn't just saying it to be flattering either. The look in her eyes was far too honest and sincere to be contrived. "Not necessarily. The chance that he's not telling us everything we need to know about the mission is very high, but there _is_ also the possibility he just wants decorative muscle."

"Decorative muscle?"

"Mm-hmm. Basically, we get paid to stand around and look impressive. Not entirely a bad way to- what?" He frowned when he noticed the odd look on her face.

Sakura shrugged, her lips twisting as if she'd just bitten into something that had gone bad. "I don't know. I guess... Never mind."

"No, finish what you were going to say."

"It's nothing."

"It can't be _nothing_ if you were about to say it anyway. Does it bother you that there could be withheld information?"

She shook her head as her fingers began rubbing along his hip again. A small thrill shot up his spine, but any other reaction to the touch was carefully and quickly controlled. Yes, he liked it very much but he'd never been a slave to his body and he wasn't about to start now. Kakashi massaged her shoulder gently, encouraging her silently to finish her statement.

Scrunching her nose and venturing a glance up at him, she mumbled, "For some reason when you said that, I got the stupid idea that it was a little... like prostitution?" Wincing, she slapped a hand over her eyes and groaned. "Oooh, that's not what I mean exactly!"

Kakashi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He'd never really thought about it like that before. Like prostitution… he'd have to remember to tell Genma that the next time he saw him. The brown haired man would get a real kick out of that. "It's not a bad comparison, actually," he conceded with a slight nod.

Her eyebrows lifted worriedly over her eyes as she bit her lower lip. "I didn't offend you, did I?"

"Nope. If anything, you've stroked my ego. To think that people would pay just to have my charming, witty, handsome-,"

"Shut up!" she grumbled, giving him a playful shove. The quirk to her lips, however, told him she was more amused than angry though. "And how would anyone know if you're handsome or not? You're always wearing that stupid mask!"

"Ah, now that's a lie," he argued. "The mask isn't stupid at all. It creates an air of intrigue. What woman can resist the allure of a mysterious man?"

"Please! That's not why you're wearing it!"

Kakashi arched a brow at her continued mirth and felt an answering curve to his lips. "You're trying to tell me it didn't work for you? You _really_ don't want to know what lies underneath?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and gave a derisive snort. "Not if you have fish lips or boils or-,"

"Fish lips? Boils? Who told you _that_?" he demanded. If this was Genma spreading rumors about him just to get even for that one incident...

An impish grin came to her cheeks as she giggled, "Oh, no one. Those are just a few of the guesses I've heard over the years."

"Uh-huh. And what else have you heard?"

"Mmm... All sorts of things. Bad acne, a harelip, warts the size of a ryo, gnarled teeth… You wouldn't believe it, but some people actually do believe you're good looking under the mask. Of course, I'm not sure I really believe that one. I mean, what's the point in hiding a handsome face?"

"Maybe because I'm so good looking that it causes instant nosebleeds and dazzles everyone into a trance?"

"Perhaps. But, that _could_ also be a good weapon, you know. Nosebleed Kakashi has a nice ring to it."

Kakashi shook his head, grinning at her teasing mood. Unfortunately, their conversation put him back at square one as far as information gathering. Every time he thought he had it pegged as to what it was she was after, his mask or his books, she seemed to be after the exact opposite. It was a little frustrating, to say the least. Here he was, one of the best ninja in Konoha, and he couldn't even get information out of a former student. Even he had to admit it was kind of pathetic.

When she removed her arm from around his waist and stepped away from him, Kakashi turned toward her curiously before glancing up at the building they had stopped in front of. Ah... they were at her place. He remained still as she stood on the first step leading toward the main entrance, a small smile touching her lips as she glanced down at her feet.

"Well... thanks for walking me home," she mumbled, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.

Kakashi shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets while contemplating whether or not he should just move in and kiss her. All the signals she was giving leaned toward her being receptive to a kiss, from the way she kept blushing every time she glanced at him to the nervous chewing of her lower lip. They'd already been on two dates. If he were a woman, he'd begin to think he wasn't interested. That wouldn't be good, not if he was trying to teach her a lesson on seduction.

However… He was pretty certain Haruno Sakura hadn't been kissed before, which was enough of a complication to give him pause in the act. This would be her first kiss, and it would be about as meaningful as a bowl of ramen to her because she was only doing it to get close to him. He didn't like that. It smacked of all kinds of wrong that she'd be wasting her first kiss on him. Then again… she _had_ to have known it would happen eventually. If she honestly thought she could pretend to date someone without at least kissing them, she was incredibly naïve.

So, basically assuming a _fuck it_ mentality, Kakashi made his move. He heard the sharp intake of her breath as he leaned in and brushed his lips across her cheek lightly. He drew back slowly, a bit of a pleased smirk touching his lips at the dazed look on her face. Sakura's cheeks were a soft shade of pink, one that complimented her hair exactly, and her eyes were a little glassy looking. Damn… if she spaced out just from a peck on the cheek, he was almost worried what would have happened to her if he'd kissed her on the mouth.

It took her a couple tries before she managed to clear her throat lightly and murmur, "I think you missed."

Her response took him completely off guard. Kakashi blinked in surprise at the shy, playful smile she gave him as she folded her hands together in front of her. Shifting his weight to one leg, he laughed softly as he settled his hands on her waist rather than having them crammed in his pockets. "You think so?" he teased back, allowing his eye to stray to her lips briefly.

Smiling back, she said, "Mm... yeah. Only by a little bit though." She held up her hand to show him the 'measurement' between her thumb and first finger.

Kakashi feigned an expression of deep thought as he nodded and stepped closer to her. He could just make out the pulse point in her throat jump erratically as he did that, indicating her heart rate had gone up considerably. "Should I try again?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged as if it didn't matter one way or the other to her, but the affect was ruined by the edge of warmth in her eyes. "If you want. I mean, you obviously need the practice."

"Is that so?" he questioned softly, his mouth just the barest inch from hers. A shuddering breath left her as a fine tremor ran down her torso. Her hands were on his chest now, pressing into his flak vest in order to keep her balance. Kakashi watched as her eyes began to close, their green color still glittering through the fringe of lashes. As he got closer to her waiting lips, she angled her head in order to receive a kiss.

At the very last second, he redirected himself and kissed her other cheek, drawing back with a delighted grin as she let out an irritated groan. "Oops," he teased as he leaned back again, a trickle of laughter following that one word at the annoyed look she shot at him.

"It's a damn good thing you don't throw shuriken like you kiss, otherwise you'd be screwed," she complained with a slight wrinkle of her nose.

"Hmm... Maybe some more practice is in order?"

"Yeah, maybe. And maybe some lessons on anatomy as well."

He wasn't going to say anything to that. It would be detrimental to his health, he was certain of it. Instead, Kakashi caressed his hand up the outside of her arm and across her shoulder, his fingers just barely ghosting over her skin and the fabric of her tunic. By the time his palm was curving around the side of her throat, his fingers resting near the base of her head, her breathing was shallow and her eyes had darkened from a deep jade to a shade that made him think of oak leaves at night.

Brushing his thumb along her jaw line, Kakashi circled his free arm around her waist to bring her more fully against him. With her standing on the step, Sakura was nearly eye-to-eye with him, which also put her mouth in a near perfect line with his. He didn't crush her to him, simply held her so that her breasts were pressing against his chest with each breath they took while keeping a small gap between their hips.

"Yeah, better try that again," he answered, keeping his voice low while his eye dropped to her parted lips. Her cheeks were still a bright pink, but there was nothing embarrassed about the look in her eyes. She was staring at his mask with such an intense gaze that it seemed as if she was trying to see beneath it.

Licking her lips with what almost looked like eagerness playing across her features, Sakura nodded her head and waited for him to proceed. Kakashi watched as her eyes began to slip shut once more, her breath catching as he inched slowly closer to her mouth. And, just as he'd done the time before, at the very last moment he moved to place that kiss to her cheek once again.

He couldn't help grinning as he caught the distinct sound of her teeth grinding together out of frustration when he drew back. Kakashi traced her tight jaw lightly with his thumb, utterly amused by the barely restrained temper flaring in her eyes. He was fully expecting to get slapped across the face at any second. It would be worth it though.

Kakashi placed both hands along her waist again as she continued to glare at him, slowly shaking her head. She hadn't hit him yet, which was making him a little concerned. In fact, she wasn't doing much of anything besides glowering at him. "Something wrong?" he inquired with false innocence.

Sakura's eyes narrowed to thin, angry slits as she smoothed her hands flat against his vest. Her breathing was still shallow and her cheeks remained a little pinker than usual though, which meant she couldn't be _too_ upset over the teasing. "No," she replied slowly, her voice sounding like a person willing themselves into a calm, rational state. "Not yet."

"But getting there?"

"You could say that."

"Ah. One more try?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura shook her head and grumbled, "Sure, why not?"

Chuckling at her reluctant reply, Kakashi cupped her cheek gently and brushed his thumb over her lower lip, eliciting a soft sound from her that could have passed for a groan. This really was almost too easy, but that didn't mean he was going to stop. Once more, he leaned down toward her. And… this time, he brushed his cloth covered lips against the corner of her mouth before pulling back at her outraged snarl.

Sakura gave an annoyed groan and stamped her foot angrily on the step. "For the love of…" Before he could even register that she was moving, she grabbed a hold of his flak vest and jerked him down to her. There was nothing gentle or teasing about the kiss she planted on him. In fact, he considered himself lucky his teeth didn't cut into his lip from the force of it. It was actually rather hot, if he wanted to be completely honest. He always did like his women with a little piss and vinegar in them, and Sakura certainly possessed that in spades.

She shoved him away from her with a burning glare and snapped, "_That's_ how you're supposed to kiss someone, idiot! On the _mouth_!"

Kakashi rubbed his abused lips through his mask and didn't bother hiding his amusement at her expense. "Ah… Are you certain about that? Because I thought it was supposed to be more like this." She didn't have a chance to finish gasping before his mouth pressed to hers once again, moving much more gently than she had. It took a couple of softer, lighter touches to her lips before he felt her relax against him and start to respond. While he did enjoy her spunk… this side of Sakura was much kinder to his body.

He waited until her arms were circled around his neck before pulling back slowly to gage her reaction. Sakura's eyes remained half closed and her lips were still parted in surprised pleasure. She licked her lips before sucking the lower one between her teeth, an act he was certain she didn't mean to be sexual but still stirred up some pretty interesting little images in his head. Kakashi wrapped his arms around her waist and silently congratulated himself for knocking higher brain functions right out of her head. Apparently, he hadn't lost his touch in the kissing department. Point Two for the Copy Ninja.

Finally, she managed to remember she could speak and said in a voice that was a little more hoarse than before, "Well… you definitely don't have fish lips."

"Relieved?" he joked back, grinning as that playful glow returned to her eyes. He released her slowly, stepping back in order to make his exit for the evening.

She shrugged and wrinkled her nose while relaxing her hands against his chest once again. "Kind of. It's bad enough that I've got cotton stuck on my lips-,"

"-Then perhaps you should try not to _eat_ my mask next time."

"-But to have- HEY! I did _not_ try and eat your mask!" Sakura snapped, shoving him away from her roughly.

Kakashi chuckled as she continued glaring at him, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping against the concrete step. There was going to come a time, whether dating her or not, that he was going to walk away with a black eye as a result of picking on her. He just couldn't resist though. He continued moving away from her, walking backwards just so that he could relish her ire a little longer. "I told you I didn't need to pull the mask down to kiss you."

"You also said you'd show me on another date. This wasn't a date," she called back.

Smirking, Kakashi held up a finger and contradicted, "I never specified whether that was a calendar date or a recreational date, though."

"You're ridiculous!"

"And you need to take it easy on my clothes," he fired back. They were practically shouting at each other from across the street but he didn't care. It was interesting to see the reactions from the few people passing by on their way home, especially after the last comment. The poor elderly couple walking between them gaped from him to her and back again before hustling out of the area.

"Pervert! Do you even know how wrong that just sounded?" she snarled, her arms uncrossing so that she was now standing with her fists on either side of her.

"Since when is it wrong to speak the truth?" Kakashi replied, laughing to himself when he just caught the edge of an angry growl from her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, apparently I need to learn the difference between a person's cheek and their mouth."

"Go home, Kakashi!"

Kakashi smiled cheerfully as he turned his back on her, waving airily over his shoulder as if she wasn't glaring kunai into his back. "I'll see you Sunday, Sakura!" He knew without turning to check that she was still watching him, right up until the point where he rounded a corner between two buildings.

Well... this was certainly a much better night than he'd anticipated. He hadn't had to spend any money, he got out of going to a bar with people he barely knew (besides Asuma, that is) _and _he made quite a bit of progress with Sakura. Laughing to himself, Kakashi made his way back to his place to start making the arrangements for their Sunday venture.

* * *

Sakura leaned against to door to her apartment once it was locked behind her and smiled. That smile soon turned to a delighted giggle, which evolved into full out triumphant laughter before she punched her fist into the air and shouted, "Hell, yeah!" She'd done it! She couldn't believe she'd _actually_ done it! Ino was gonna blow up when she found out Sakura had actually kissed Kakashi. _And on the mouth, too!_

He was right where she wanted him. She couldn't believe. She just… She, Haruno Sakura, A-cup medic nin with an oversized forehead, had Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja of Hidden Leaf, eating right out of the palm of her hand. It didn't matter that he was the most infuriating man she'd ever had to deal with. The most important thing was that he'd kissed her back. Take that, Ino-Pig!

Sighing happily, Sakura made her way back to her room to change for bed, still giggling every time she replayed the moment in her head. Everything about it had been just perfect. Her first real kiss had been used on a 'mission' but at least it had been a good experience. Kakashi had nice lips. She couldn't see because of the stupid mask, but she'd sure felt them. Thin and firm and just… _very_ nice. So much for the fish lips theory. And it turned out so much easier than she'd expected, too! Of course, it probably helped that he'd initiated it, but still… The whole thing had been brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant.

All hail Sakura, seductress extraordinaire!

* * *

Kurenai's stomach all but leapt into her throat at the sound of a key grinding softly in the lock on the front door. Her heart skipped a beat before resuming at a much quicker pace when the solid wood slid open and Asuma stepped through, kicking his shoes off to one side while unzipping his flak vest. He glanced around the dimly lit apartment but apparently didn't see her sitting in the shadowed living room. He was back early. Why was he back early, damn it? She wasn't finished practicing what she would say to him!

She'd left the hospital after her talk with Shizune feeling much better about being pregnant, but that feeling and slowly started fading out as her day progressed. All the usual things she did during the day had been altered because of the risk to her baby. She'd sat out of training with her team, which had even earned her an odd look from Shino. She'd found out she'd been assigned to a high paying mission and had quickly found someone else to cover it for her. Hagane Kotetsu had been incredibly flattered when she'd put his name at the top of the list for a potential replacement. Then, she'd gone to the Academy to see if there would be any teacher positions opening in the next few months. Unfortunately, they weren't. The only instructor there ready to take the jounin exams was Iruka, and he'd always stated he was very happy staying where he was. All in all, it had been a very disappointing day… and she _still_ hadn't worked up the nerve to tell Asuma she was pregnant!

Asuma pulled the protector from around his forehead off and let it dangle from his fingers as he walked further into their apartment, his movements distracting her from dwelling on her crappy day. Kurenai continued to watch him silently from the corner of the couch she was curled up in as he dropped the metal and cloth band onto the countertop in the kitchen and slung his vest over the back of a chair. A dim light came from the kitchen, briefly breaking the shadows that shrouded the rest of the apartment. She could tell from where she sat that the light came from the refrigerator door having been pulled open.

She couldn't see him clearly as he poked in the refrigerator but the sound of plastic wrap being lifted told her he was pulling out leftovers. Hadn't he gone out to dinner with his friends? She could have sworn that's what he'd said that morning. A quick stab of irritation burned through her before she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and reminded herself that it wasn't a big deal if he had or not. Damned pregnancy hormones... they were already starting to take affect! She could already tell being pregnant was going to be loads of fun.

Kurenai didn't say anything when Asuma pulled a plate out from the cabinets above the sink, leaving the refrigerator door open in the process. Those cabinets had been her idea, actually. He hadn't liked the pale colored wood she'd wanted... until they'd actually been installed and he saw how much brighter the kitchen became. It was the only thing she'd wanted to change about his place, which was more like a luxury penthouse than an apartment anyway. The design was simple yet tasteful, almost what she would term modern. It was the perfect place for two people to share. Now, it looked like she'd have to change more to make room for a baby. If he was okay with having a baby, that was. And if he wasn't, well… she'd find another place to remodel. Simple as that.

When Asuma pulled out the container of orange juice, twisted the top off and began drinking from the container, it took all of Kurenai's self control not to jump off the couch and rip him a new one. She hated when he drank out of the container! Why would he drink from the container when the cups were barely two feet away, right next to the plates? He could sure as hell pull out a plate and utensils, but a cup was too much? Argh...

Asuma finished gulping down the juice before returning it to the fridge and grabbing his plate of cold food. Kurenai's heart jumped again when he made his way into the darkened living room and over to the couch in front of the television. He was not... Oh, he was. He was going to eat in the living room. After how many times he'd told her he wasn't doing that and he had no idea how rice ended up on the rug? Well, she'd caught him red handed this time. He was so lucky she didn't get up and dump the plate of food all over his lap! Once again, Kurenai forced herself to take deep, quiet breaths and find her calm place again.

She knew these were little things, things that normally wouldn't have sent her into a rage on any other day, but they just seemed so much worse tonight. It wasn't all because of the hormones either. Some of it was due to the fact that she was incredibly nervous about telling him to begin with. They'd been so careful about their relationship, neither of them wanting to risk a surprise pregnancy when their marriage wasn't even technically announced yet. If there weren't condoms in the apartment, then one of them either went out to get some or they found other ways to satisfy each other. It looked like all that stuff about condoms not being one hundred percent effective was too true.

Kurenai shifted on the side couch just as Asuma was about to sit down to watch television and eat in their living room. She heard him suck in a sharp breath before jumping quickly to his feet with his plate in hand. Leaning over, Kurenai turned on the side lamp, her brow arching at the all too guilty expression on his face. "Kurenai," he began slowly, as if still trying to figure out what his excuse would be. "I, uh... Well, obviously we didn't have dinner so I..."

"Uh-huh. I see that," she bit out, settling her arms over her stomach and glancing pointedly at the kitchen again. "There's a reason your kitchen has an island, Asuma. And it's not just for putting flowers on either." Even though she was annoyed with him, she couldn't help the little smile that touched her lips at mentioning the newest arrangement on the countertop. One thing she had to say about Asuma was that he had a habit of being incredibly romantic, regardless of whether he was in trouble or not. Every time the current bouquet would start to wilt, a fresh order of flowers from the Yamanaka's shop would arrive at the door for her. It was the little things like that which kept him from getting his ass handed to him for eating on the expensive rug she'd spent a good portion of her pay on.

Grinning sheepishly, he nodded and went quickly back to the kitchen with his food. "I thought you were in bed," he called as he turned on the light and set his plate on the countertop, still standing as he began to eat. Every so often, he would glance at her warily before redirecting his gaze anywhere but at her. He knew something was up, she could tell just by the caution he was using around her. It made her feel a little guilty that she'd obviously killed his mood for the evening, but she couldn't help it. Her mood for the next nine months had been shot to hell.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, a trace of bitterness in her voice. The reason she couldn't sleep was because she'd been trying to think of how to tell him she was pregnant. Damn it, she just needed to get this over with! Just say it and see what he said. Taking three deep breaths in and releasing them slowly to help steady her nerves, Kurenai stood up and padded softly into the kitchen. "Asuma... we need to talk."

Asuma stopped eating in favor of looking her up and down. A spark of lust flashed through his eyes and a slightly lopsided smile curved his lips as he chuckled, "Sure, let's talk about how you look better in my shirts than I do." He was cracking jokes but she could see the tension in his jaw and knew that he was starting to get worried. Great…

Kurenai lost the fight to not smile at his compliment while smoothing her hands down the shirt that was several sizes too big for her. He knew that she only wore his clothing to bed when she had trouble getting to sleep, a habit that had started after she'd moved in with him. She missed him when he was away, and wearing something that smelled like him helped to ease that. Asuma had joked at the time that he was going to start wearing her bras to bed for the same reason. So far, she hadn't caught him doing it.

Sighing, Asuma pushed his plate aside and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, a guilty grimace crossing his features briefly. Kurenai continued to remain in the door way, her fingers picking nervously at his shirt. She had to do this. She _could_ do this. It was just a baby, for crying out loud! Yeah… _just_ a baby. That was something that would change both of their lives drastically. There was no 'just' about it.

"Look, I'm sorry about eating out there," he said, his voice quiet but holding an edge to it that she recognized as his I've-apologized-stop-punishing-me tone. "I'll vacuum tomorrow since it's my mess."

"I don't care about the damn rug," she muttered, flinching at the slightly irritated look that came over his face for just the barest of seconds. She knew she sounded like she was mad at him, but she wasn't. She was mad at herself for… well, everything. For having a uterus, for not knowing how to tell him she was pregnant… Really, she didn't see why she couldn't say it. It wasn't that hard, just two words were all she needed to say. It was even more simple a sentence than telling him she loved him. And yet… it wouldn't come out.

Nodding and unwilling to press the subject further, Asuma poked his chopsticks at the meat on his plate absently as he tried to change the subject. "So, wanna hear the latest in Konoha gossip?"

"Hmm?" she asked absently as she moved away from the door to slide into a stool at the island. Kurenai really wasn't all that interested in gossip, but at least this would give her a chance to try and work up her missing nerve. "Sure, who's doing who?"

Asuma chuckled as he finally selected a piece of meat and stuck it in his mouth. "No one's doing anyone as far as I know, but apparently Hatake Kakashi is off the market for the time being," he replied with an amused smirk.

Kurenai did raise her brows at that. "Seriously? That sucks."

"Huh?"

"I was going to try and fix him up with Matsudo Suki sometime this week."

"The day clerk at the hospital?" When she nodded to confirm it was that particular woman, Asuma snickered and shook his head. "Well, at least you got the medic part right. From what Ino just told me, he's actually seeing the Hokage's apprentice."

Now _that_ prompted her full and undivided attention. Kurenai picked her head up off the countertop to gape at Asuma's back as he turned to put his dishes in the sink. "Haruno Sakura? Are you _sure_ about that?" she asked sharply.

Asuma nodded as he walked back over to her side to lean against the end of the island nearest to where she sat. "Yep, pink haired girl with a temper that rivals Tsunade's. That'd be the one."

"Wow…" Kurenai rubbed her fingers into her temples to ease the migraine she felt coming on. Now _that_ was certainly an odd couple! She could just imagine the public reaction to learning the most sought after man in the village was dating someone not only fourteen years his junior but a former student of his to boot. "I feel sorry for them, I really do. Oh, God, does Tsunade know yet?"

Asume shook his head quickly as he rubbed his hand along her arm to allay her worries. "No, definitely not. Kakashi was walking just fine and didn't show any signs of recent bodily trauma. Anyway, I don't think either of them is saying much about it one way or the other."

Kurenai nodded her understanding as she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She knew too well what it was like to have the eyes of the village in the bedroom. Unconsciously, she pressed one hand to her flat stomach, a frown creasing her lips as she thought about their child. They'd been very quiet about their relationship for almost three years now. All of that would end the minute she started showing signs she was with child. Questions would be asked, more prying would be done… There would be a few people who wouldn't be too happy that the former Hokage's son hadn't married anyone of much notice.

Sighing, she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and murmured, "I feel bad for her. She has no idea what she's getting herself into."

Asuma took a deep breath in and released it slowly across the top of her head as he brushed a gentle kiss against her hair. "Me, too," he replied, slipping his arm around her shoulders to bring her into a one armed hug. "But, she's gonna either have to get used to it pretty quickly or call it quits. The one good thing she's got on her side is a solid group of friends at her back."

Kurenai sighed and snuggled more closely into his body. "That's relieving to know. Some of the women out there are straight up bitches when it comes to things like this." She was speaking from experience on that one. She'd had more nasty looks, spilled drinks and gouging fingernails flung at her person since she'd first been seen with Asuma than she had in her entire life before him. Although, she had to say she was actually rather grateful to the few who'd seriously tried to start a fight with her over Asuma. The fact that they'd all been taken away by medics while she left with a few scratches had scared most of the would-be love rivals off.

Chuckling as he leaned back and tilted her face up with one hand, Asuma leaned toward her and spoke in a low voice against her lips. "Trust me, I don't think Sakura will have a problem if some of them get physical. I've seen the bruises she's left on Ino in the past. It's more the cattiness and rumor spreading that I think she'll have a problem with."

Giving a little hum of agreement, Kurenai wrapped her arms around Asuma's waist and pressed her cheek to his chest when he turned to accommodate her better. The steady, even beating of his heart was soothing to her stretched nerves. His change in topic had been most welcomed, but it wasn't changing the fact that she had to tell him her news. After several seconds of just listening to him breathe while he placed random kisses in her hair, Kurenai finally decided to just to get it done and over with. Quick and dirty, like ripping a bandage from a dried wound.

Taking a deep breath in and holding it, she blurted out, "Asuma... I'm pregnant." She closed her eyes and waited for his verbal response. She'd already felt him suck in a harsh breath under her cheek and heard his heart literally skip a beat. Oh, God…

When Asuma released her to take a step back, Kurenai grit her teeth together so tightly that her jaw hurt and kept her eyes closed. Even though she couldn't see him, she could sense the shock radiating off of him in waves. His continued silence was starting to scare her, acting like ice water being pumped into her veins so fast that it began to flood onto her skin. It was raising goose bumps down her arms, the nervous tension so thick inside her it was near impossible to breathe. Somehow, she managed to swallow passed the tightening in her throat and force her eyes open to venture a look at his face.

Asuma was gaping at her with his jaw slacked and eyes rounded. She flinched a little when his mouth opened and closed a couple times without anything coming out. Slowly, he continued backing away until he was no longer touching her, running one hand back through his hair while still very obviously struggling to find his voice.

Swallowing again, Kurenai leaned forward against the countertop, her hands wringing together fretfully as he began to shake his head. "Asuma?" she choked out, her eyes burning with the threat of tears. Out of all the life threatening situations she'd been in since being promoted to jounin, she'd never before felt a fear quite like this. The idea of Asuma rejecting her hadn't seemed real until this moment. Now… God, if he didn't say something soon she was going to lose it! "Asuma, please say something."

It took him several more seconds of shocked silence before he cleared his throat and muttered, "Wow. I can't… wow. I mean, you're sure? As in, one hundred percent sure?"

Kurenai nodded and wiped the back of her hand across her cheek as the first tears began to fall. He wasn't happy about it. She hadn't actually thought he'd be disappointed by the news but… why else would he ask if she was sure? "Shizune confirmed it for me today. I'm a little over two weeks pregnant."

What Asuma did next made her gasp in surprise and stare at him in bewilderment. One minute he was standing before her and looking like a dear in the headlights, and the next he was on his knees and dragging her of the chair and into his arms while lifting her shirt to stare at her stomach. "A baby… Damn, you really _are_ gonna be the mother of my kid! Genma's not gonna believe this!"

"What?" she asked, completely bewildered as to why Genma was being brought into this.

Asuma shook his head dismissively and said, "Never mind, it was just something we were joking about the other day. Damn…" From the awestruck look on his face, all his cursing was because he was excited and not because he was upset. The surge of relief that swept through her very nearly made her knees buckle from underneath her.

"Ah, so _you_ jinxed us, huh?" she teased, tracing her fingers along his jaw tenderly as he continued gaping at her stomach.

Laughing in disbelief, he spread his wide palm across her stomach tenderly, shaking his head as if it was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen. Kurenai's brow arched in disbelief when he turned his cheek against her stomach, pressing his ear to her skin while his hand smoothed down the side of her hip.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, a smile twitching at her lips as he continued to remain very still against her. She couldn't believe she had ever thought this man would be angry over having a child. Yet another thing she could chalk up to the hormones, she supposed.

"I'm listening for the baby," he replied, grinning when she smacked him on the side of the head lightly.

"Hate to tell you this, but you won't hear anything from the baby until it starts screaming at three in the morning," she chuckled while threading her fingers through his thick hair and hugging him to her. If it weren't for his arms around her waist, she probably would have fallen right to the floor at that moment. All the tension, the pent up adrenaline and the worry that he wouldn't accept the news flooded out of her in a rush that left her feeling dizzy. As it stood, there wasn't anyway she could stop the happy tears from slipping down her cheek, even if she'd been inclined to try.

Asuma settled his chin on her tummy in order to flash what could only be called a delirious smile up at her. "How soon until I can feel it move?" He was acting like a kid who'd just found out he was getting the present he'd always wanted for his birthday. It was incredibly adorable… and it also gave her a taste of what it would probably be like with their own child. Greeeeeat.

Laughing and leaning down to kiss his forehead affectionately, Kurenai murmured, "Not for another eighteen weeks at least."

"Damn, that's a long time." The disappointed flicker across his face was almost boyishly sweet and made her laugh again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Any idea if it's a boy or girl? And what about twins?"

"For the love of God, Asuma, it's the size of a sea monkey right now! Babies don't just pop up overnight, you know." She sniffled as the tears began to finally slow down, laughing at his eagerness while still threading her fingers back through his hair tenderly.

Sighing in resignation, Asuma stood up while keeping his arms around her waist. Kurenai smiled softly when he pressed a light kiss to her lips. His eyes were still locked on her flat stomach as if he had every intention of never letting it out of his sight. That was perfectly fine with her… but the damned pregnancy hormones were reacting to his touch and her happiness, urging that perhaps they should celebrate in the same way that had gotten her pregnant to begin with.

"Hey, Asuma?" she whispered against his mouth before laying a series of suggestive, nipping kisses along his lips. The way his hands pressed more firmly into her hips before slipping down to grip her rear and squeeze it told her he really liked what she was doing.

"Hmm?" he replied while slowly steering her back against the kitchen wall again. All the while his mouth was busy doing some really interesting things to her neck and shoulders, things that made Kurenai's eyes almost roll back into her head. Each light nip, teasing flick of his tongue and gentle suck wound her desire higher as she turned her face in to nuzzle his neck in return.

"Did you know a woman can have sex up through her third trimester?" Kurenai arched against him, rubbing her hips against his and dragging a heavy groan from him in response. She kissed her way along his jaw until she met his mouth again, her tongue tracing along his lips teasingly before slipping into his mouth when he parted his lips for her.

The kiss was slow but heated, full of soft sounds and heavy breaths as they both moved for a better angle against each other. Asuma broke away first in favor of returning to her neck while his hand moved up over the skin of her stomach to cup one of her breasts. "I have no idea what a trimester is, but that's good to know," he mumbled, speaking while nibbling down the side of her neck.

Kurenai groaned, her nails curling into the fabric covering his shoulders as he began to knead her breast gently. God… it was almost unbearable how much she wanted to do him! Slipping her hands down his chest, she began tugging his shirt up with the single minded urgency of a pregnant, horny woman. "And did you know it's actually encouraged for pregnant women to have sex to relieve the tensions that come with carrying a child?"

"That's… great. Really. Can we _please_ get to a room we can have sex in now?" He was making reference to the one and only time he'd wanted to have sex in the kitchen. She'd flat out refused, stating she didn't want to fuck him in a room they prepared food in. He'd been disappointed… until she'd gotten him in the shower and blown his circuits by going down on him.

Kurenai grinned as she locked her legs around his waist and tugged his hair to angle his head back for another kiss. After several seconds of exploring tongues and groping hands, she pulled away and gasped, "The living room since you're already cleaning it tomorrow."

"Fine by me. It's closer than the bedroom." And, without further discussion, Kurenai held on tight as Asuma moved them back to the couch and her expensive rug.


	7. Got Him Where I Want Him

Ino was incredibly disappointed when she slipped back into their apartment the following morning to discover Sakura was already awake and busy burning her breakfast. Waving a hand in front of her nose, Ino kicked her sandals off and made her way into the smoke filled kitchen just in time to catch Sakura open the window quickly. "Shit, Forehead… what'd you kill this time?" she demanded, coughing and squinting as she fumbled inside the doorway for the switch. The electric fan overhead whirled to life, sending the grayish smoke swirling around the little kitchen.

Sakura scowled but didn't answer her right away. Instead, she stormed back over to the toaster and picked up two pieces of blackened charcoal gingerly between her fingertips. "Why can I bake cookies but I can't even make some damn toast?" she complained as she threw the ruined bread into the trash can. If it hadn't been for the fact that she'd said it was toast, Ino wouldn't have ever guessed that's what the black things had started out as.

Ino continued to watch from the doorway as Sakura sent what she could only guess were eggs into the trash as well before tossing the frying pan into the sink. The hot metal hissed as it came into contact with a bit of water clinging to the basin and the force with which it hit made Ino wince. "Want some help?" she ventured as her roommate began wiping down the stove and counters irritably.

"No," the pink haired girl grumbled miserably as she tossed the wet rag back into the sink as well. Sakura sighed as she jerked open one of the cupboards and began scanning the shelves for a quick, easy breakfast that didn't involved any sort of heating up. "I just don't get how I seem to be the _only_ person in the world who can't make toast!"

Shrugging and no longer really caring about the conversation, Ino began heading back to her room for some more sleep. Hinata's place was nice and all, but she never slept well in any bed but her own. Well… _almost_ any bed. Sometimes, she slept just fine. It all depended on _who_ was sharing it with her. All she could say right then was thank God it was her day off. She'd maybe only gotten an hour's worth of sleep at best the night before. It really sucked, especially since Hinata's guest bed was insanely comfortable.

"Hey, Ino!"

Ino rolled her eyes as she turned around and went back to the kitchen, mentally kicking herself for asking if Sakura needed help. Sleep… sleep until the sun went down. That was all she wanted. If she'd gotten herself roped into doing housework, she was gonna be pissed. "What?" she asked, not bothering to keep the crankiness from coming through in her voice.

The smug look that crossed Sakura's face as she poured milk onto her cold cereal made Ino's eyes narrow suspiciously. Ino waited while the other girl took a seat at their small table and spooned some cereal into her mouth to chew with slow, deliberate movements. She would give Sakura exactly ten seconds to spit out what she wanted to say before she'd get livid.

As if she could sense the blonde's rising ire, Sakura stirred her spoon idly around her bowl and said, "You didn't ask about last night."

Those words made Ino's eyes all but bug out from her head. Jaw dropping so low and fast that she heard the joint pop, Ino stepped into the kitchen and sank into the nearest chair. No way… No _freakin'_ way! "Sakura… you didn't."

"Uh-huh. Twice," she gloated, snickering as Ino slammed her palms onto the table hard enough to set the sugar bowl to jumping.

"Bullshit!"

"And that's not counting the _three _times he kissed me on the cheek!"

_"Bullshit!"_

Sakura stood up and deposited her bowl and spoon into the kitchen sink while she continued to preen smugly at her dumbfounded friend. "Yep, I grabbed him by his vest and kissed him right on the mouth. And lemme tell you, Ino… he's got a nice mouth!"

That was enough to knock Ino out of her daze. Leaning forward eagerly, the blonde grinned and asked, "Was he hot? He's gotta be. There's no way someone with a harelip is a good kisser. And was there tongue? Oh, oh… was it slow and lazy or fast and hard? Probably lazy, seeing as the only person lazier than him is Shikamaru. C'mon, Sakura, tell me!"

Laughing, Sakura took her seat again and shrugged. "I don't even know where to start."

"Start with what he looks like. How's he rank next to say…. Sasuke?"

For some reason, Sakura's cheeks burned bright red as she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. At first, Ino thought perhaps it was just because she'd said Sasuke's name but when the question remained unanswered a full minute or so later, Ino knew this wasn't the case. Arching a brow, Ino leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Sakura… you _did_ see his face, right? I mean, those rumors about him being so hot that you completely space out aren't true, are they?" Lord, she hoped not! To not remember a man because he was too beautiful was a devastating thought.

Sakura shifted in her chair and seemed to find the crooked sugar canister very fascinating. "Well," she hedged as she reached out to straighten the container on impulse. "The thing is… I don't know."

Ino blinked slowly as Sakura continued to find random objects to stare at rather than her. She couldn't mean… "Sakura… _please_ tell me he didn't kiss you with the mask on," she begged in a flat, dry tone.

"He… might have," the pink hair girl admitted reluctantly, causing her blonde roommate to drop her head onto the table hard enough to set the sugar to bouncing again. "But he still kissed nicely!"

"Sakuraaaa… That doesn't count," Ino exploded. "Until it's flesh on flesh, I'm not counting it as a kiss! Ugh, to think I got all excited over that!"

Sakura's eyebrows pinched together over her eyes as an annoyed scowl turned her lips downward. "How does that not count? His _mouth_ was on _mine!_"

"With a piece of freakin' cotton in the way! That thing's like a kiss condom or something! It doesn't _count!_"

"It does so! I felt his lips and everything! Which, by the way, are _not_ deformed!"

Snorting, Ino shook her head argued, "That still doesn't rule out big nostrils or nasty teeth!" The muttered 'damn' from across the table told her Sakura hadn't thought about those options while locking lips to mask last night. "I can't believe you can't even get him to take the mask off to kiss you. You're so pathetic, Forehead!"

Snarling, Sakura stood up so quickly her chair skidded almost to the middle of the floor. She didn't go to retrieve it, however, opting instead to storm for the door. "You're just pissed that I _actually_ kissed Kakashi, that's all! You didn't think I could do it, did you?"

Rolling her eyes and following her irate roommate to the door, Ino sneered, "Ooooh, I am _sooo_ jealous I didn't get to suck cotton last night! Please, if I want a _real_ kiss, all I've gotta do is walk out the door and point at a guy! But you… You've got a guy you _should_ be kissing and you can't even get passed his stupid mask!"

"It was a real kiss, Pig, and nothing you'll say will change that!" Sakura snapped before slamming the door after her.

"Lemme know what it's like getting a cotton covered tongue down your throat," Ino hollered just for added benefit before stomping into her own room. Of all the nerve… saying _she_ was jealous of a non-contact kiss! If it weren't for the fact that Tsunade would kill her dead for messing up the bet, she'd make certain Hatake Kakashi never looked at Sakura again! Huffing, Ino flopped onto her bed, not bothering to change, and dragged her blankets over her head. She'd get even for that… after she'd slept!

* * *

Damn Ino for sucking the fun out of gloating! Sakura huffed irritably as she adjusted the medic jacket she was wearing over her regular clothing before entering the intensive care unit of the hospital. She'd been up all night dreaming about rubbing it in Ino's face that she'd kissed Kakashi, too! She'd wanted to inform the blonde on how very softly he'd kissed her cheeks, how firm his lips had felt through the mask after she'd dragged him to her and how it had made her knees go weak when he'd responded more gently to…

Sakura paused before rounding the corner into the main area of the ward, leaning her back against the wall and closing her eyes as that weird fluttery feeling came over her again. This was so stupid! It was just a kiss. It was okay to like it, but not _this_ much. And besides, it wasn't like he'd _actually_ kissed her anyway. There had been a piece of cotton between his mouth and hers.

Except, if she went with that logic she'd be admitting Ino was right. Argh… damn it! She was screwed either way when she thought about it. She either _really_ liked the kiss or she admitted Ino was correct. Well, since she had a choice of evils… she'd rather die than admit Ino was right about anything. So, she liked kissing Kakashi.

Perhaps it was good for her to admit this. Yes, it was. That way, when she had to kiss him again she wouldn't get all woozy every time it happened. It was good for her task. Yes. Self realization was a wonderful thing. This would build her character, make her stronger. Now all she had to do was kiss him again to put this theory into practice.

Mmm… kiss him again. Maybe without the mask…

No, definitely leave the mask on for now. She'd get used to it in stages. It was like building an immunity to poison, so to speak. Start with small doses and work up until the body could handle the lethal amounts. Sakura snickered at the idea of comparing Kakashi's kiss to building up poison immunity. Maybe _that_ was why he kept his face covered. His saliva was poisonous. If Naruto were there he'd-

"Ow!" she yelped when an elbow struck her hard in the shoulder. Rubbing her arm, she glared after the group of women rounding the corner. Her brow furrowed as one of the women tossed a smug look over her shoulder at Sakura. What the… She could almost swear that the woman had elbowed her on purpose, but that would be just plain silly… right? She didn't even _know_ who that was, so maybe it was just a simple case of mistaken identity.

Right. Because Konoha had _soooo_ many pink haired kunoichi running around.

Sighing, Sakura shoved the incident aside and proceeded to the front desk of the intensive care ward. "Hi, Suki," she called cheerfully as she leaned on the counter area. "What's on the menu today?"

The downright hostile glare that the normally pleasant woman gave in response to her greeting was like a slap to the face. Her lip curling upward in a faint sneer, Suki returned to filing her nails as if Sakura wasn't even worth looking at. "We're a hospital, not a restaurant," she snapped. "Though, I'd probably take it easy on the food if I were you." A pointed glance toward Sakura's stomach, which was partially hidden by the desk, made the pink haired girl's hands cover the area reflexively.

What the… Maybe she was hearing things. Suki did not just call her fat… right? Still reeling a little from the other woman's attitude, Sakura said softly, "I just wanted to get the list of patient for the day, that's all."

Rolling her eyes and slapping the nail file down so violently on the desk that it caused the older woman working alongside her to look up in shock, Suki grabbed the chart that was waiting in the slot and dropped it on the counter in front of Sakura. "There. Satisfied? Now, stop taking up counter space and my time!"

Nodding quickly and grabbing the chart with shaking hands. Sakura hurried away from the irate desk clerk, venturing only a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm that Suki was still glaring daggers in her back. What was _that_ all about? She could understand having bad days and all, but that had been just plain mean! Shaking her head, Sakura opened the chart to read up on her patient…

Shortly before someone's hand conveniently hit the chart and sent it flying in the air, causing the papers inside to flutter wildly around her. "Oh, no!" Sakura stood numbly as all the documents went drifting to the ground and fought the urge to whip around and lay whoever was snickering at her out on their back. These weren't just coincidences any longer. She didn't have any evidence of a conspiracy, but her gut told her something wasn't right. Something was going on and it was being directed toward her. Maybe it was Be Mean To Sakura Day and she'd just forgotten to mark it out on her calendar?

Already tired of the day, Sakura sighed and bent to start gathering the notes up. She'd just begun to reach out for the chart when a sandaled foot oh-so-casually kicked it out of reach again. "Hey," she snarled, sitting upright to glare after the smirking kicker. Was everyone _insane_ today or something? Seriously, it was one thing to mess around with her but now they were keeping her from getting to her patient, and _that_ was completely unacceptable!

Still grumbling to herself, Sakura once again began gathering the chart back together and pretended she didn't notice that people were 'accidentally' stepping on the note sheets she was reaching for. Naturally, the chart just _had_ to be detailed, which meant there was a crap load of paper to pick up again. And why were the documents loose to begin with? Wasn't it the job of those at the front desk to… make... sure…

Suki had unbound the papers on purpose. That was the only reason why the documents weren't secured inside the chart as they should be. She'd known someone was going to knock the chart out of her hand and had made certain the chart was primed for maximum scattering. That realization slammed into Sakura so hard that it momentarily robbed her of breath. Suki had… Growling under her breath, Sakura grabbed the ankle of whoever was standing on the last bit of patient information and jerked it out from under them. The woman shrieked in surprise as she was toppled over but Sakura didn't bother to stick around and find out if she'd intentionally been standing on the papers or was a helpless victim of her ire.

Not bothering to put anything in order, Sakura stormed back up to the front desk and slammed the chart and bent pieces of paper on the counter in front of Suki. Apparently, the expression on her face was enough to replace the front desk clerk's smirk with a wary, nervous expression. "Mind getting this chart put together for me _properly_?" Sakura spat out, not bothering to contain her anger any longer. "Because it would _really_ suck for you if I had to inform Shizune that your inability to do your job was keeping me from treating my patients."

Suki swallowed so hard that it was visible and nodded weakly. "Yeah, sure," she muttered.

A sickeningly sweet smile came to Sakura's lips as she said sarcastically, "Thank you _so much_, Suki. You're so helpful." Then, she turned to the people gaping at her and shouted, "And if anyone else messes with how I do _my_ job, I'm gonna skip going to Shizune and take it up with the Hokage herself. Got it?" Without waiting for a response, Sakura hurried from the intensive care unit for the nearest bathroom so that she could calm down and have a good cry. What in the world had she done to piss off all of Konoha?

* * *

Ino grumbled darkly as she threw back the covers on her bed and grabbed the robe draped over her nightstand. "Whoever you are, you're so freakin' dead," she muttered to the person banging on the door to her apartment. Someone had better be dead or close to death or standing there with loads of money for her…

It was none of the above, she discovered upon opening the door. Ino's scowl turned into a murderous glare at the two men standing before her. "You two _really_ don't wanna have sex again, do you?" she threatened.

"I told you it was a bad idea to wake her up," Shikamaru mumbled to Chouji. He'd been totally fine with having lunch with Chouji _without_ their blonde teammate, but his friend had insisted they swing by and disturb her. Obviously, Chouji had forgotten about the last time they'd woken up an exhausted Ino. Shikamaru hadn't. His balls still ached just thinking about it.

Chouji shrugged, his smile widening as dug out a handful of chips. "If we didn't invite her, she'd be mad anyway. Wouldn't you rather have her mad at us for waking her up than not inviting her?"

Shikamaru arched a brow but only shook his head in response as he leaned back against the wall by the door and away from the still seething blonde. He knew the real reason Chouji wanted to bother Ino. The larger boy had a thing for her, though why Chouji would ever in a million years decide he liked Ino was beyond him to understand. Women were a pain in the ass, and Ino was their queen. He'd rather spend an entire day with his mother and Temari from Suna than Ino. And _that_ was really saying something considering the other two women were some of the best naggers he'd ever been subjected to in his entire life.

Ino's eyes narrowed as her gaze flickered from one boy to the other and back again. "Invite me to what?" she questioned.

"To lunch, of course," Chouji answered around a mouthful of chips.

Her blue eyes narrowed even further until they became thin, glittering slits. Shikamaru began very cautiously edging his way down the hall. He'd told Chouji Ino would be pissed! She was on a diet again, for God's sake. Lunch was about the _last_ thing she'd want!

"I'm buying," the larger boy added enticingly.

That was what she'd been waiting to hear! Nodding decisively, Ino said, "Gimme ten minutes."

Shikamaru snorted and muttered, "You'll be longer than that."

A well thrown slipper connected with his head as the door slammed shut, effectively drowning out his surprised yelp. Ino laughed unsympathetically as she entered her room and began getting ready. She didn't have to worry _too_ much about her appearance, thankfully. It was just Shikamaru and Chouji after all. Ino was still smoothing her ponytail down as she opened the door to her apartment and caught slipper Shikamaru flung back at her.

"You dropped this," he remarked dryly.

Smirking as she tossed the slipper over her shoulder into the apartment, Ino shut and locked to door behind her. "No, I didn't. I threw it at your head. So, where are you two taking me for lunch?"

Looking entirely too pleased with the situation, Chouji shrugged and said, "I dunno, the usual place?" Honestly, he couldn't have cared less where they ate at that moment. He was just happy that Ino had agreed to come along. He didn't care what Shikamaru said about her being a pain in the ass. Yeah, she was could be unbelievably bossy sometimes, but the fact that she was one of a handful of girls who actually _talked_ to him made up for that. Besides, he knew she was only bossy because she cared.

Ino rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "Of _course_ you'd wanna go there, Chouji! Sorry, but I don't feel like grilled food today. Let's get ramen!"

"Sounds good to me," he replied quickly as he followed Ino down the hallway. Ramen was just as good as grilled steak anyway. He continued smiling as Shikamaru fell into step beside him with a heavy sigh.

"You're one sick guy, Chouji," the taller boy muttered.

Chouji chuckled in response. He didn't need his friend to elaborate any further. He already knew Shikamaru thought he was cracked out to even think about Ino as anything more than a sometimes overbearing friend, but he couldn't help it. Ino was… awesome. In a way, he was sort of glad Shikamaru didn't see that in her. Otherwise, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. Nara Shikamaru was not only much better looking than he was but easily ten times smarter. So… even though it was a shame he didn't see Ino in the same light, Chouji was very happy he didn't have to contend with his friend for her.

Both boys followed obediently behind Ino as she led them through the streets and crowds of people to Ichiraku Ramen, neither of them speaking and only one of them really listening as Ino continued to talk on and on. While Shikamaru watched the clouds overhead, Chouji paid attention to every word she said, from talking about the great sale on shoes she'd found to how she was thinking about dying her hair dark just to see how it would look. None of them were aware of the curious glances following after Ino as they approached the restaurant.

The three of them took seats at the small counter area that looked directly into the kitchen. Ino slid onto a stool and Chouji immediately claimed the one on the other side of her. Shikamaru moved to the spot next to Chouji, just to ensure his friend had every possible opportunity to talk to Ino. Well… that was partially why he'd chosen to put Chouji in the middle. There was also the fact that he could get away with not paying attention to Ino with someone between him and her. It was a win-win situation for all parties involved.

One of the new waiters came up with a beaming smile and eyes that immediately dropped to Ino's chest. The glare Chouji sent his way was completely missed as he leaned on the countertop unnecessarily close to Ino and all but purred, "Welcome to Ichiraku. What can I get for you?"

A flirtatious smile curved Ino's lips as she leaned forward as well, purposely pushing her breasts to the forefront and drawing the waiter's attention downward again. "What's… _special_?" she asked back, tracing her fingertip idly over the surface of the counter.

If it weren't for the fact that Chouji looked like he'd been sucker punched in the kidney, Shikamaru would have rolled his eyes in disgust. He couldn't believe things like that actually _worked_ on some guys! Apparently, it did. Sighing and once again wishing he had the ability to say no to Chouji, he patted his friend's shoulder consolingly. It wasn't like Ino did it on purpose. She just had no idea that the big guy had a crush on her.

The waiter's smile definitely became a full out leer as he slid a single finger down the menu and within just a bare inch of her breasts. "Well, we don't really have a special," he drawled, meeting and holding Ino's gaze intently. "But _this_ is a really good dish."

"Is it now?" Ino didn't so much as look at what he was pointing to.

It was all too much for Chouji to handle. He very nearly dislodged Ino from her stool as he leaned over to look at where the waiter was pointing. The movement, though it made Ino squawk in surprise, also put her breasts completely out of touching range. "Oh, you don't want that one, Ino," Chouji said, feigning innocence as the waiter stepped back with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, I think I _do_, Chouji," Ino growled as she turned enough to glare at him.

Shaking his head, the larger boy tapped the menu and said, "That's got a lotta sodium and white starch in it. You don't like that, right?"

Blinking, Ino grabbed the menu from him and read the item in question curiously. Then, with a surprised arch of her brows she said, "You're right, Chouji. Yeah, I'll just take some wheat noodles with tofu, please."

Shooting an incredibly sour look at Chouji (which made Shikamaru smirk as he silently congratulated his friend for the smooth move) the waiter wrote it down on his notepad. "And for you two?" he demanded a little more gruffly.

"Beef ramen with extra beef," Chouji said instantly.

"Same thing, I guess," Shikamaru replied. He handed his menu back to the waiter before sticking his hand under the table for Chouji to tap discreetly. Operation Cock Block was a success. Granted, they were probably going to get a little something extra in their food, but so long as they didn't see it they could still eat. Or, at least that's how Shikamaru was going to get through the meal.

The slamming of Ino's palm on the countertop made both boys look at her with what could only be termed as angelic faces. "Mind telling me what _that_ was all about?" she ground out between clenched teeth, tapping one well manicured nail against the hard tile beneath her hand.

Both of them shrugged as if they didn't know what she was talking about. "Just thought you'd wanna know what that guy picked out, that's all," Chouji answered. Shikamaru didn't say anything, seeing as he technically hadn't been involved with what had happened. Occasionally, he offered technical advice to Chouji on how to keep would-be suitors away from their bombshell of a teammate, but over the last few months he was barely even doing that anymore. Chouji was getting good at diffusing the possible love rivals on his own.

"Yeah, right. Like I'm gonna buy that," the blonde snapped before crossing her arms under her breasts. 'You've been acting all sorts of off lately, Chouji. Why does it seem like every time I'm flirting with a guy your ass is always there and doing something to mess it up?"

Shikamaru shot a glare down the counter at Ino as Chouji's shoulders hunched forward and a quick flicker of hurt touched the corners of his eyes. "So you're paranoid _and_ delusional now, huh?" he demanded. Hey, he didn't care if Chouji was mad hot for the Hokage herself. He wasn't going to let anyone talk to him like that. If Ino knew just how much Chouji cared about her… No, she wouldn't change. Yamanaka Ino was a done deal the way she was.

"What's _your_ problem now?" Ino demanded angrily, giving Shikamaru and incredulous stare. "This is between me and Chouji, not the three of us!"

"I don't _have_ a problem, Ino. _You're_ the one making a big deal out of Chouji pointing out you didn't want what was on the menu."

She snorted and cast a hungry look into the kitchen where the waiter was placing their order. "Damn straight about that," she murmured. "They didn't have 'hot waiter' listed anywhere!"

Chouji sighed miserably under his breath and glanced at Shikamaru. Maybe he _was_ crazy after all for thinking Ino'd ever go for him. She liked pretty guys, like that Uchiha Sasuke, not plain ones like him. Man… this _sucked!_ He dropped his head so hard onto the counter that it actually hurt and mumbled, "I changed my mind. I'm not hungry anymore."

Shikamaru literally fell right off his stool to the ground and Ino let out a horrified gasp at his statement. Before either of them could even formulate a question or comment to that stunning statement, a group of older women walked through the entryway and right up to where Ino was gaping at the back of Chouji's head. "Are you Yamanaka Ino?" the one with darker hair asked as Shikamaru picked himself up off the ground.

Blinking rapidly as she shook herself out of being stunned by Chouji's words, Ino frowned at the woman and asked, "Who wants to know?" The woman was wearing a flak vest, which meant she was at least a chuunin, though judging from the attitude it seemed more likely she was a jounin. Ino couldn't place ever meeting her before, so how did the woman know her name... Shit… she hadn't hit on this woman's boyfriend or something, had she? Aw, crap! She _hated_ dealing with jealous girlfriends!

"You're friends with Haruno Sakura, right?" the woman pressed, her eyes darkening at the mention of Sakura's name. The women all scowled at hearing Sakura's name as well, which made Ino's eyes narrow suspiciously.

"Depends on who wants to know," Ino repeated, this time more firmly. Like she was going to admit to being Sakura's friend if this group had it in for her! There was no way she was gonna get her ass kicked because of something her roommate did. She could feel more than sense that her two teammates were now watching the exchange closely in case they needed to jump in and give her a hand. Touching… but hardly necessary. Taking out jealous bitches was a specialty of hers.

"Is it true she's dating Hatake Kakashi?" the dark haired woman persisted, still ignoring Ino's request for a name.

Both Shikamaru and Chouji had to catch themselves from slipping out of their stools in shock. Ino managed to contain her own disbelief at the question rather successfully, opting instead to arch a brow and pin the woman with a cold glare. "Who told you that?" she questioned.

"Just answer the question. Is Haruno Sakura dating Copy Ninja Kakashi?"

Ino sighed and turned her attention to the waiter as he brought out their ramen. The waiter glanced at the women nervously before disappearing into the kitchen once again. Shrugging casually as she stirred her spoon through the large bowl of wheat noodles and tofu, she murmured, "You'll have to ask her or Kakashi-sensei about that. I don't know a thing."

An irritated growl came from the woman as her friends began to space themselves out. Ino watched them out of the corner of her eye while her teammates stood up slowly, making their threat very obvious. Immediately, the other women stopped moving, all of them watching Chouji and Shikamaru closely. "Really now, are you _seriously_ going to start something over some stupid rumor?" Ino purred derisively. "Geeze… Talk about childish!"

"Look, we just wanna know if it's true or not. You don't need to get all bitchy about it," a blonde from further back huffed, her lower lip curling into a pout.

"Speak for yourself," Chouji muttered darkly before his cheeks flushed at the smile and wink Ino flashed his way.

"What'd you say, you fa-," the woman began to shriek just as the owner of Ichiraku came out from the kitchen with a stern frown on his face.

"If you ladies aren't gonna order anything, you need to leave," he insisted, crossing his arms over his chest and looking pointedly at the door. "We cater to _paying_ customers only."

There was a brief, tension filled pause as the brunette leader of the group met Ino's smug look with a cold glare. "Just trying to get some information, sir. Nothing else," she bit out before whirling away with her friends in tow.

The trio remained seated, all of them staring after the kunoichi with less than friendly looks. "Y'know," Chouji mumbled, his eyes narrowing until they appeared to be closed. "I really think she was about to call me fat."

"Yeah," Ino replied absently, a thoughtful look crossing her face as she too stared after the women. Then, without any warning, she stood up and headed for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Chouji called worriedly. Ino _never_ ran out on a meal that was being paid for by someone else.

"I've gotta go check on a few things. Sorry, guys, I'll treat next time," she called over her shoulder before disappearing behind the curtained entryway.

Both of her teammates continued staring after her for several seconds. Finally, Chouji let out a forlorn sigh before instantly perking up as he slid Ino's forgotten bowl closer to him. "C'mon, Shikamaru! Eat it before it gets cold!"

Shaking his head and deciding he really didn't want to know what Ino was up to, Shikamaru returned to eating his ramen. Well, at least there was one good thing about all this. He'd gotten his wish to have lunch alone with his friend.

* * *

"There you are! I've been looking for you for almost four hours!" He cringed at the sound of Anko's overly enthusiastic voice. Damn… That was quick.

Kakashi made a mental note that the rooftop over the bakery was now off his list of hiding places. The fact that it had only taken her four hours before deciding to check the bakery proved it. A shame, too. He really liked smelling all those yummy pastries while lounging around with _Icha Icha_. "Yo," he drawled as Anko dropped onto the rooftop next to him. He continued to read as if she wasn't sitting entirely too close to him.

"'Yo'? That's all you've gotta say after I spent four damn hours tracking your lazy ass down?" she griped, snorting in disbelief. "Weren't you the one who said you wanted to meet up before leaving on Monday?"

"Ah, yes. So, I was thinking we'd work this-,"

"You _did_ hear already, right?" Anko interrupted as she leaned back on her arms while stretching her legs out before her.

"Hear what?" He was seriously going to pitch her over the side of the bakery if she asked about him and Sakura. While no one yet had been brave enough to ask him point blank if it was true he was dating his former student, he'd still overheard plenty of conversations about the topic to know it was circulating the gossip circles. More than a few of those discussions had been far from flattering in regards to Sakura, too. They were lucky he was the one doing the eavesdropping and not the volatile object of their loathing herself. Still, when and if she _did_ hear the rumors… yeah. He had a feeling the medics were going to be working overtime due to a sudden influx of patients.

"Kurenai opted out on the mission," Anko replied, the brief twisting of her lips indicating she wasn't too happy about the news.

That earned her a raised brow as he turned to the next page in _Icha Icha Violence_. While he really wished Jiraiya would hurry up and get a new book out, he was perfectly content to just reread the first two over and over again, especially this one. _Icha Icha Violence _was Jiraiya's best work to date. Sex three paragraphs in and enough witty dialogue to make him chuckle out loud… It was sheer genius. "Any reason why she did that?" he asked as a pang of regret stabbed through him. He really didn't want to leave off in the middle of the chapter, but this _was _of relative importance. It wasn't like Kurenai to pass up on a high paying mission with little, if any, real work to be done.

Shrugging, Anko began wiggling her feet back and forth anxiously. It was a little irritating, especially when she kept kicking his ankle, but he didn't comment on it. Knowing Anko, she was doing it just to pry some sort of reaction from him. Unfortunately for her, he'd developed and innate talent for ignoring the annoying. "Nope. I just found out about it myself this morning. Apparently, she just told the Hokage she couldn't do it and suggested a couple replacements for consideration."

"Well, that was awfully kind of her." It really was, too. Trying to dig up a third teammate last minute was a damned near impossible feat. He probably could have called in a favor or two to get it covered if necessary. Tenzou owed him a bale out, come to think of it. But if Kurenai said she'd already found coverage, he would trust her opinion on the matter. "Did you happen to get a name?"

Anko groaned irritably and flopped down completely on the rooftop, uncaring that she'd almost smacked him in the face with her flailing arms. "No clue. Sorry, sempai. Whoever it is better be top notch or else-,"

As if on cue, a figure suddenly sprung up from the ground below and landed with barely a sound on the rooftop next to Anko. Kakashi arched a brow in mild surprise at the sight of the Hagane Kotetsu, one of the Hokage's assistants. "Sorry," the other man said breathlessly as he sat down on the warm bakery roof. "I didn't know where the meeting spot was. It took me forever to find you guys."

"Wait… _you're_ going with us on this?" Anko demanded, shooting upright so quickly it was a miracle she didn't throw her back out.

Kotetsu looked slightly affronted by Anko's accusatory tone but answered calmly enough, "Yeah, I am. Kurenai-san asked me herself. Besides, it's only an escort job. Chuunin _are_ allowed to do that, you know."

Kakashi smirked at Anko's irritated growl and silently congratulated Kotetsu for standing up for himself. While Anko was very good at her job, her caustic attitude had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. This sometimes created tensions in the group dynamics that made it difficult to work with her. It was refreshing to see he wouldn't have to play mediator this time around. Kotetsu could handle himself just fine.

"So, shall we get down to business?" Kakashi asked quickly, hoping to distract Anko from responding. He marked his place and snapped his book closed as he pushed himself upright. He hated leaving it off there, but the sooner they had their meeting, the sooner he could get back to reading in peace. Immediately, the other two directed their attention to him, though Anko still looked a little put out over Kotetsu's words. Bringing his knees up to support his elbows, Kakashi continued laying out the general plan. "On Monday at six A.M., we'll be meeting with our client at the western gate to escort him and his entourage of twenty people to the borders of Grass."

"Six, you said?" Anko asked with a smirk. "So, that means ten in normal people's time, right?" Kotetsu very quickly turned his laughter into a coughing spell.

Frowning at his teammates' humor, he repeated, "No, it means six. Our client wants to get to the border of Grass Country as soon as possible. Barring any potential roadblocks, we should reach the border in about eight days."

"That long, really?" Kotetsu murmured, glancing nervously up at the Hokage's tower.

"If it was just us and our client, then we could possibly do it in five or six. But he's traveling with his wife and their retainers so we'll have to allow time for that as well. The return trip should only take us four days max, so… twelve days away is what we're looking at, give or take depending on outside circumstances."

Kotetsu's face twisted ruefully as he muttered, "Great. I can just imagine the hell Izumo's gonna be put through."

Anko rolled her eyes at the chuunin before turning to Kakashi and asking, "So, sempai, what's the likelihood of these _outside circumstances_ occurring?"

Kakashi tapped a finger against his chin thoughtfully as he considered the odds of an unplanned event. Sakura had been right last night that the chances of this being more than just a simple escort mission were very high due to the fact that the client specifically requested elite ninja for the job. They wouldn't bother mentioning to him that he was actually getting two jounin and one chuunin instead. Regardless of the man power, it was almost certain they would run into trouble. Any time a client assured them it was a simple escort but, oh please, make certain they're all top notch shinobi, everyone expected the job to be a little more complicated than 'simple'.

Sighing as he assumed a cheerful expression, Kakashi shrugged and said, "Very likely. All we have to do is get them alive to the border. That's where we meet up with the escort team from Hidden Grass. From there… it's entirely up to the Grass nin to ensure the client arrives in one piece."

"I still don't see why _they _need to be involved at all," Anko grumbled as she sat up and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Hidden Grass is still sore over that incident at the chuunin exams two years ago," Kotetsu explained, sparing a quick glance at Kakashi to see if he objected to having the meeting hijacked from him. He couldn't have cared less, to be honest. If Kotetsu wanted to explain it to Anko, he was perfectly okay with that. Taking the silent hint that Kakashi didn't mind, the younger man continued, "Even though they know Konoha didn't have anything to do with the deaths of their ninja they're still not happy that it happened. Our relations with them a strained at best. Hokage-sama has been trying to work with them for a long time now to break this."

Anko's shoulders tightened at the mention of the chuunin exams, her eyes hardening as her lips thinned into a severe line. It was a topic that still made her run cold inside just to think about. Letting out a low sigh of breath, she squeeze her arms more snugly around her knees for a brief second before grinning and reaching out to muss up Kotetsu's hair. "You're just all kinds of useful, aren't ya?" she teased, relishing the way he struggled to get away from her. The more he struggled, the more aggressively she messed up his hair. She didn't boast the title of Noogie Queen for nothing, after all!

"Gah… Kakashi-san, will you get her off me?" the dark haired man complained as he squirmed in an effort to dislodge her from his hair. When she lunged on him and effectively got him into a choke hold, all Kotetsu could do was helplessly dig his fingers into her arm as she rubbed her knuckles hard across his scalp. "Kakashi! Argh… Get her offa me!"

Kakashi stretched out on his back and closed his eyes, blatantly ignoring the other man's pleads for assistance. There was no way, short of Tsunade ordering him with a kunai to his balls, that he was prying Anko off of anyone. The last time he'd stepped in, she'd jokingly grabbed a handful of his hair… and ripped out a pretty decent sized chunk of it. The humiliation of that still haunted him. Of course, she'd just _had_ to do it while he'd been in charge of Team Seven. Naruto hadn't let him hear the end of it for several months afterward. The teasing had been so bad that he _still_ couldn't hear a bald joke without cringing to this day.

After several minutes of Kotetsu squirming and yelping for her to get off of him, Anko finally released her hold on him and sat back with a grin. She was breathing hard and looked incredibly pleased with her handiwork. Kotetsu scowled at her as he tried to smooth out his typically shaggy hair once again. "Was that entirely necessary?" he demanded, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"Mmm… yep!" Her grin widened at the growl that came from him as he pointedly put even further distance between them. As if it didn't affect her one way or the other that he didn't want to sit near her, Anko twisted around enough to nudge Kakashi's hip with her foot. "Hey, Hatake! Did you fall asleep?"

Kakashi's lips curved upward slightly as he cracked his visible eye open just enough to meet her curious gaze. "I was thinking about it, actually. It's nice out today."

'Well, you can't! We've still gotta finalize the plans."

Letting out a sad sigh over the fact that she wasn't going to let him take a nap, Kakashi tucked his hands under his head and said, "Okay. Since we're dealing with a group, we'll space ourselves out. I'll take the front guard to keep an eye out for trouble. Anko, you'll handle the rear."

"Will do!"

"Kotetsu, that means you're to stay by our client and his wife at all times. Sound good?"

Kotetsu shrugged and mumbled, "Sure, why not? Chances are good that anybody who attacks will get killed by you or Anko before they can even get to me anyway."

Anko all but squealed with delight, causing both of her male companions to look at her nervously. "Aww… You really think I'll kill them before they get to you? I'm touched!" she announced gleefully. "Thanks a lot!"

"Uh… you're welcome?" the bewildered chuunin replied, looking questioningly at Kakashi. Kakashi shrugged and affected an uncaring look. Inside though, he was about three seconds from laughing his ass off. Anko was very much like a lost kitten. The first person to come along and play with her, she'd get attached to. The fact that the unsuspecting man had pretty much given her the compliment of her life by saying he trusted her to keep any enemies from him was just the sort of thing to earn Anko's attention. Kotetsu had no idea what kind of mess he'd just gotten himself into with this one.

Deciding that their meeting was now officially over, Kakashi stood up and dusted his clothing clean of the dirt from the rooftop. Fifteen minutes, including a tussle, had to be a record of some kind for a mission meeting. He arched his back and groaned under his breath at the series of pops that ran down his spine. That really had to be the most delicious sensation in the world! He glanced over at the other two, noting that Anko was now stretched out with her eyes closed while Kotetsu looked about ready to ask a question. That would be his cue to leave! The day was far too nice to be tied up answering questions.

Pocketing _Icha Icha_ again, he tossed a wave over his shoulder and said as he got ready to jump to street level again, "Remember, six in the morning by the western gate." He jumped off from the roof just as Anko made another comment about his timeliness, which he decided to let slide this time around. He had more important things to do than get in a verbal sparring match with her anyway. Such as finding a better hiding place, post haste. It was getting too easy for people to find him nowadays.

* * *

Ino was out of breath by the time she returned to her apartment just as the sun was starting to go down. She'd spent the entire afternoon tracking down her usual gossip channels to hear what exactly was being spread around about Sakura and Kakashi. The results? Well… Not good. That was why she'd gone straight to the hospital to see if she could catch Sakura before she left for the day, but she'd been too late. There was only one other place Sakura could be, which was why she'd sprinted from the hospital all the way back to their apartment. She hadn't even bothered stopping to get comfort food along the way. Ino had just wanted to get home to be there for her friend.

The door was unlocked when she tried it, allowing Ino to enter the deeply shadowed living room. Geeze, didn't Sakura care that the door was open to any kind of pervert who might want to steal their panties? She paused when she noticed the figure stretched out on the couch with her face buried in a pillow and an empty pint of ice cream on the floor next to her. A bag of opened cookies was on the table within reaching distance, but it looked like her roommate was just fine being face planted into their couch. "What're you doing, Forehead?" Ino sighed.

"Tryin' to smother myself," Sakura mumbled into the pillow.

"Oh. Can I have your cookies then?"

"Go for it, Pig." Sakura honestly didn't want them any more. All she wanted was to learn that jutsu that could make the ground swallow her up. It'd be a pretty handy thing right now.

Ino walked over and sat on the edge of the couch by Sakura's thighs, her eyebrow lifting when she noticed the bag was half empty. Damn… Apparently, things like staying trim didn't matter to the pink haired girl at that time. She'd regret it later when she got on the scale at the hospital.

Sakura remained face down in the pillow, completely happy to wallow in her misery while her roommate gorged on her comfort food. When she felt something nudge her hip, she picked her head up enough to glare miserably up at Ino. "What?"

Ino held out a cookie to her, smirking as she said, "Sit up. You're taking up the whole damn couch with your lard-ass."

"I hate you," she mumbled back, even as she did what the blonde had asked.

Shrugging and looking as if that fact didn't bother her in the least, Ino plopped onto the couch beside her and stretched her legs out so that her feet were near Sakura's hip. She settled the cookies between them before grabbing one and sticking it in her mouth. "So," she said around the cookie. "I take it you've heard what everyone's been saying."

Sakura huffed in resignation and took a cookie. She really didn't feel like talking about it right then and there but she knew Ino wouldn't let it drop until she'd spilled her guts. "Yeah, some of it. Have you heard anything?"

The way Ino paused in selecting her next cookie told Sakura she had. "I hear a lotta stuff, Forehead," she answered vaguely.

"You know what I mean, so stop acting stupid!"

Sighing and sucking the last traces of ice cream from her spoon, Ino grabbed the remote control for the television and clicked it on in order to flip through the channels at a blindingly fast pace. "About you and Kakashi? Yeah, I heard. It was all over the place by the time I woke up and left with Chouji and Shikamaru. Some brunette bitch and her under-bitches actually had the gall to interrupt our lunch and demand I confirm it for them."

"And you told them…?"

"That it's none of their damn business and they should thank me for not beating the living crap out of them for asking." Ino broke out in a wide grin at Sakura's exaggerated sigh of relief. It wasn't exactly what she'd said, but it was close enough. Besides… As if she'd substantiate a rumor she hadn't _personally _started. Puh-lease!

"Thanks, Pig," Sakura murmured, and it was obvious by her tone she really meant it.

Ino grinned and stuffed her mouth with more delicious cookie as she ran through the cycle of channels once again. "No problem, Forehead."

Sakura remained slouched down in her corner, hugging a pillow as she halfheartedly tried to figure out what was on each flashing station. "How can you even see what's on?" she finally asked, hoping that by changing the subject she would stop dwelling on her day. It wasn't working, especially since Ino never stayed long enough on one station for her to see what it was. All she could see was blur, blur, blur, static channel, blur.

Smiling while she continued to watch the channels fly by, Ino said, "My dad does this, so it's kind of an acquired skill. Oh, here we go!"

Sitting up to see which blur it was Ino had chosen, Sakura curled her legs up on the couch beside her and hugged the pillow tighter to her chest. Some stupid soap opera with really lousy acting, it seemed. Not interesting. She had her own dramas to deal with. "It was really bad a work today," she continued as she took a spoonful of ice cream herself. "Almost none of the female staff wanted to talk to me. They kept ignoring me, messing with my charts, elbowing me... And Suki was especially mad at me. She wouldn't even give me my schedule! How am I supposed to work without a schedule?"

Ino's brow creased as she only half considered the question. It was hard paying attention to Sakura when she _really_ wanted to know which of the women was sleeping with Mochiba. "Wow, that sucks."

Sakura nodded her agreement, her eyebrow lifting when it was revealed that the guy's mother, who was also his father's stepsister, was the mother of his child. Some weird separated at birth plot thing that really didn't help make the acting any better. If there was one more dramatic pause, she was gonna pause the television permanently. "But, it's not like Suki to be mad without a reason, and especially not over petty crap like this. It was really odd, if you ask me"

Ino sighed and turned to look at Sakura now that a commercial break was on. It was advertising ice cream, which she didn't need in addition to the cookies, thanks very much. "It's probably because she's been trying for the last seven months or so to hook up with Kakashi. Everyone knows she's mad hot for a piece of Copy Nin ass."

"Well, I didn't know! Argh! This is so ridiculous! How'd anyone find out this quickly anyway? We've only been on two dates!"

Rolling her eyes Ino settled a pillow between her back and the arm of the couch and turned to face her now scowling roommate. "Um, well, Sakura," she began in a tone of mocking superiority. "Everyone knows because quite a few people saw you guys walking together last night."

"Your fault entirely, by the way!" the pink haired girl was quick to point out.

"And you _did_ kiss him on a public street."

"We were outside the apartment, not standing in the middle of Main Street!"

Smirking, Ino set the container of cookies on the table and dished out the final bit of gossip she'd heard. "There was one rumor that you actually had your hand on his ass."

"WHO SAID THAT?" Sakura snarled, all but leaping off the couch in her ire. She was gonna find whoever said _that_ one and bury them!

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. Even in those god-awful baggy monstrosities that all the jounin seem to where, it's obvious he's got a _really_ nice ass!"

"_INO!"_ Forget whoever started that rumor, she was gonna bury Ino instead.

Laughing, the blonde nudged Sakura's thigh again with her foot, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "What? It's not like you're dating him _for real_. I can look if I want."

"No, you can't! He's off limits to your looking while I've gotta date him, okay? No, even _after_ I don't have to date him, _you_ aren't allowed to look! That's my teacher, for God's sake! It'd be like me looking at Asuma-sensei."

Wrinkling her nose, Ino shook her head and said, "No… I like Kakashi-sensei's ass better. Now, _Asuma_-sensei… he's got some amazing arms! This one time when we were training in the summer, he took his shirt off and-,"

Sakura covered her ears and scrunched her eyes shut. "Nope! Can't hear you! Not interested!"

Rolling her eyes as she stood up to go put the cookies in the kitchen, Ino hollered back, "Stop being such a prude!" She stopped at the sink on her way out to wash her hands of the stickiness from the cookies. Wiping her hands on a dish towel, Ino returned to the living room and flopped down on the couch again. She fished her hand under the edge of the sofa and pulled out a small red lacquered box, settling it on her lap to open it up. "Now, gimme your foot!"

Still scowling, Sakura obediently settled her foot on Ino's lap and flexed her toes. "I didn't grope him," she muttered.

Ino snickered as she rummaged through the box of nail polish for the color she wanted. "Sure, sure. You're too chicken shit to do that anyway." It took a lot of effort to block the kick aimed for her chest.

"Hey, Ino?"

"Hmm?" she answered distractedly as she began painting a bright candy red color to Sakura's toenails.

Sakura bit her lower lip uncertainly and hugged her arms around herself. "What else is being said about me and Kakashi?" she asked, half dreading the response she would get.

Sighing softly under her breath, Ino paused in her task and hesitated before answering honestly, "The usual crap that's said whenever one of Konoha's finest goes off the market. You're a tramp, a slut, what the hell is wrong with him, how can he go for someone like you… Basically, the same stuff we used to say whenever another girl got too close to Sasuke."

Nodding dismally, Sakura grabbed the pillow again and squeezed it to her chest. "So, it's all about me then?"

"Mostly, yes. A few people aren't too happy a guy his age is going out with a girl your age. Some are even saying you're dating him as a favor. You know, to keep away those rumors that he's gay. Then, there are a few who feel bad for you because it's just _so obvious_ he's only using you for sex."

Sakura snorted as a faint smile touched her lips. "Yeah, the sex that is soooo not gonna happen! Still… this really sucks. I hate being on the receiving end of gossip!"

Ino laughed and released her foot before beckoning Sakura for her other one. "Yeah, maybe we should stop gossiping about others then."

"Oh, I don't hate it enough for that, Ino. It's just... I feel bad for people like Suki. Suki was really interested in him and now she thinks Kakashi's taken." Sighing heavily, she dropped her head back against the arm of the sofa and closed her eyes. "Tsunade-shishou needs to stop making stupid bets like this."

"Well, if it's any consolation… you _could_ try and use this to negotiate some added perks. You know, to make up for the damage to your character, pain and suffering… that sort of thing." Ino smiled as Sakura began to laugh. She'd been serious about it, but as long as it cheered her roommate up she'd let that fact slide. Blowing across Sakura's newly painted toes, Ino tapped the arch of her foot and said, "There, all done. Now you don't look like a heathen!"

"Gee, I didn't know going around without your toenails painted made you a heathen," Sakura joked as she wiggled her toes and studied the paint job critically.

"It's definitely pre-human, Forehead. And embarrassing." Ignoring the eye roll directed at her, Ino stood and stretched her back out before returning the box where it belonged. Running her fingers through her tangled blonde hair, Ino patted Sakura's head like she was a child as she passed. "Listen, don't pay attention to any of them. They're just jealous and eventually they'll move on to hating someone else. You know how that goes. I mean, we've done it often enough in the past." She paused in the doorway to her room to wink at Sakura, who gave a weak smile in return. "'Night, Sakura!"

"Goodnight, Ino. And no waking me up early tomorrow either! Kakashi isn't stopping by until eleven and I want some _sleep_."

"Right. Sure. Whatever. I'll see about how I feel when I get up." Grinning as Sakura raised her pillow in the threat of throwing it at her, Ino shut the door to her room and locked it for good measure. There was a good reason why she'd wanted the door with the lock, and this was exactly it. Short of busting the door down and forfeiting their security deposit, there was no way Sakura was getting in her… room… to…

"FOREHEAD! YOU'RE SO DEAD!" Ino screamed after she'd flipped back the covers to discover a pile of shaving cream smeared across her sheets. The laughter from the living room normally would have sent her flying back in there for some retribution of her own… except that she had to get her silk sheets in the wash before the shaving cream stained it permanently. Oh, it was _on _now! If Sakura thought her mornings were bad now, wait until Ino got _really_ creative!

* * *

Kakashi had just finished placing the final dish in the strainer to dry when he heard the faint _poof_ that typically heralded one of the dogs popping into his apartment. Ninety percent of the time it was just Pakkun, but occasionally the pug decided to bring one of his comrades along as well for an overnight stay. What wasn't to like about a place where sleeping on the couch was more than welcomed and free food was provided?

He turned at the sound of tapping dog claws moving over the worn wood floor of his living room. "Hungry?" he called when he saw it was only Pakkun who had answered the summoning jutsu he'd worked earlier. Without waiting for a response, he reached into the battered refrigerator and pulled out the container of leftover food he'd set aside earlier. That had been the whole basis behind doing the dishes to begin with. He'd raided the fridge for leftovers and discovered that all but two containers were now supporting life. Lovely.

The small pug gave him the dog equivalent of a shrug as he sat on the cold kitchen floor in order to scratch his ear. "Haven't eaten all day," Pakkun grumbled before wandering over to sniff questioningly at the container on the floor. "Leftovers?"

"Mm."

"From when?"

"Oh… I think a week ago. Maybe longer." He honestly couldn't even remember when he'd made… What _was_ that even? Kakashi sighed under his breath and made a mental note to check the contents of his refrigerator more often. He wasn't a slob by nature, but things like cleaning his small space or remembering to check the expiration date on the milk tended to fall on the wayside due to his schedule.

The dog sniffed at the dried, congealed whatever-it-was and sneezed dismissively before he wandered out of the kitchen into the small living room. Kakashi frowned as he bent to pick up the container to sniff it himself. It smelled okay to him, and his sense of smell was almost as good as Pakkun's. Still… it had to be pretty bad if a starving dog wouldn't touch it. "So, are you and the others available this Sunday?" he called as he dumped the food into the garbage can and dropped the newly emptied container into the sink to let it soak. He didn't feel like dealing with the crusted coating at the moment.

"Have ta check around, but I'm good," Pakkun replied. There was a creaking of springs, and judging by the satisfied grunt that followed it Kakashi deduced that the canine had jumped onto the couch already. "Why? Got a mission?"

"Not in the strictest sense of the word." Leaving the few dishes to dry in the strainer, Kakashi rummaged through his cabinets until he found a can of noodles and sauce. He didn't bother heating it, simply removed the lid, grabbing an extra dish and some chopsticks before entering the tiny, cluttered living room to drop onto the couch next to Pakkun. After a moment in which he pulled his mask down from his face and kicked his sandals off, Kakashi sighed and slouched down against the lumpy couch to eat his dinner. He dumped a third of the can into the bowl and placed it on the cushion next to him.

Pakkun walked across the cushions and sniffed at the bowl curiously before deciding it was worth eating. Smirking as the pug made happy, snorting sounds at the food, Kakashi dug into his portion of the meal. It wasn't bad for canned food, but it would have been better hot. He just hadn't felt like dirtying a pan to heat it over the stove.

Pakkun finished quickly enough, his pink tongue flicking out over his scrunched nose to get the last remnants of sauce from his fuzzy muzzle. "So, what's the deal?" he asked as Kakashi took the empty bowl and stood up to drop it into the sink with the Container of Questionable Content.

"Some reconnaissance, that's all. You remember Sakura, right?" Kakashi asked back, pausing on his way back into the living room to throw the empty can out. He took his spot on the couch again and waited for Pakkun to situate his head on his thigh before reaching down to rub at the spot behind the dog's ears.

"Cute kid, smells nice? Constantly whacking that other kid around?" Pakkun groaned and pressed into Kakashi's hand gratefully, his back leg giving a short, spastic kick in pleasure.

"That'd be her. Care to tag along on a date?"

Somehow, the pug managed to affect a pretty convincing frown despite Kakashi's marvelous ear rubbing ability. "A date? Since when've you been dating again?" He grunted and nudged the palm on the back of his head to hint that he wanted his other ear scratched now. It always happened; first one ear would start and just as it was feeling really good, the other one would itch.

Chuckling, Kakashi obliged the unspoken request, the result being Pakkun's back leg thumping hard against the couch. "It's not really a date. She's after something and I want to know what it is. It's either the mask or _Icha Icha._ So far, she's not leaning one way or the other enough for me to confidently guess which it is. That's why I'd like your take on it."

"Oh, gotcha. Sure, but won't she be kinda suspicious if we all show up on the date?" Pakkun rolled over onto his back to let Kakashi know his stomach needed some itching, too. Damned fleas were everywhere this time of year.

Kakashi smirked and obligingly scratched Pakkun's stomach for him. "Trust me, for this type of date she won't question it in the least. So, can all of you assemble at the north gate around nine tomorrow morning?"

"Nine? So that means ten, right?"

Seriously, what was with everyone today and making fun of his timeliness? So he was late every once in a while. That didn't mean they had to go changing the times that he decided. Frowning at the dog's attempt at humor and sighing under his breath, Kakashi shook his head and muttered, "No… I mean nine."

"Okay. We'll be there at ten."

"Get off the couch. Now."

Grumbling, Pakkun rolled over and fixed Kakashi with a dry stare. "You're kiddin' me, right?" he asked flatly.

Kakashi turned slowly to face him with an arched brow and a try-me stare. "Off," he repeated firmly.

Growling under his breath, the pug jumped down and shook himself extra hard to dislodge any fleas hiding in his short fur. It'd serve Kakashi right to have his place run over with the itchy bugs. "If I'm sleepin' on the floor, I'm outta here," he complained bitterly.

Waving over his shoulder to indicate he didn't care one way or the other, Kakashi yawned and stripped his sleeveless shirt off on the way to the side room that served as his bedroom. Originally, it was supposed to have been a dining room or something like that, but a quick wooden wall courtesy of Tenzou turned it into a space for him to sleep in. The room that was _supposed_ to be the bedroom housed a training area and his books. Shizune had commented on the odd set up on one of the few occasions she and Genma had stopped by. He didn't care if it was odd that he slept in his dining room. It functioned for him.

Kakashi finished changing and dropped onto the narrow bed shoved in one corner, slightly off center of the window that had a pretty decent view of Konoha. He knew Pakkun was still standing in the living room, probably debating about whether or not he'd been serious about forbidding the dog from sleeping on the couch. A few silent minutes passed before Kakashi grinned sleepily and called, "You might as well get comfortable on the couch, Pakkun. You're _not_ sleeping in the bed."

An annoyed growl heralded the couch springs creaking again as the small dog reclaimed his former spot. Laughing softly, Kakashi rolled over onto his stomach and fell asleep.


	8. Show Her Lightning Part One

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: First of all, thank you VERY MUCH to Erabella Trint and Qualapec-the-She-Wolf for reading through this chapter for me. Your reassurances are what kept me from deleting all 50+ pages and starting from scratch.

Second: A HUGE shout out and thanks to Jiraiyas Girl for the WICKED AWESOME fan art on deviantart! It's a progression piece, so please be sure to check the status of it as it goes along. So far, it has me nose bleeding about as much as when I think of Kakashi in the shower… nekkid.

* * *

Sakura gave a happy murmur of sound as she snuggled further into her blankets, a sleepy smile curving her lips at the feel of morning sunlight warming her cheeks. The light was filtering through the closed blinds to her room, making the normally blinding glow soft and pleasant. Sighing, she stretched her arms over her head and arched her back off the mattress, sending that wonderful tingling sensation throughout her body. There really was nothing better than stretching first thing in the morning. Well, perhaps waking up without the aid of an obnoxious roommate or a messenger from her demanding mentor. But other than that? Definitely nothing better.

Slowly opening her eyes while running her fingers through her short hair, Sakura took a deep breath and released it, savoring the feeling of waking up refreshed and not pissed off for a change. It was a nice feeling. She glanced over to the side of her bed at the alarm clock on the table. It was almost eleven. She hadn't had a chance to sleep like that since…

Eleven.

Kakashi.

"Shit!" she screeched, flinging the covers off of herself and sprinting across her room. It took her two jerking tries before she managed to slide her door open with enough force that it made the screws in the track pop up. Of all the days to sleep in… She heard the shower running and growled angrily at it as she reached out to slam the bathroom door open. It wouldn't budge. Damn it… Ino had locked the door!

Banging her hand on the hard wood, Sakura shouted, "Ino! I've gotta get in there now!"

She could hear the blonde cussing and shouting back as she continued hitting the door desperately. The lock slid back and Ino shrieked when Sakura all but bowled her over, stripping as she went. "What the _hell_, Forehead?" Ino yelled as Sakura jumped into the still running shower. She wiped the suds that had begun dripping down her face away before shutting the door to keep the cooler air from invading the steam filled room. Hugging her arms across her naked breasts and teeth chattering, Ino pulled the glass door open just as Sakura was rinsing the shampoo from her hair.

"Goddamn it, what is your problem?" Ino snapped, her blue eyes darkening in outrage. The _only_ reason she would accept for being hauled out of the hot water like that was if Sakura had just discovered she would be dying within the next three hours and this was her final request. Anything short of that and there'd be pieces of Sakura scattered all around Konoha.

"Kakashi's gonna be here any minute," Sakura explained quickly, hissing when soap slid directly into her eyes. The series of muttered 'ows' gave Ino some small measure of satisfaction. "Stall him, okay?"

Arching a brow, Ino purposely dropped her arms from her breasts to settle her hands on her hips while pursing her lips. "Right. I'll just go answer the door like this then. That'll distract him, don't you think?"

"PIG! Pretend for five seconds you're my friend, okay?"

Rolling her eyes as the pink haired girl took a razor to her legs with frightening speed, Ino groaned as she went over and turned the sink on. "Fine, I'll handle it," she reluctantly agreed as she stuck her head under the much colder water to finish cleaning her hair. It was going to be a long sleeved shirt for sure today, seeing as it didn't look like she'd have time to get back in the shower and finish shaving. She hated having stubble pits!

_"Thank you_," Sakura groaned appreciatively before cursing under her breath. "Damn it, I hate new razors!"

"Considering you were wielding that thing a like butcher, I'd say you're lucky you've got anything below the knees at all," Ino shot back, smirking as she plucked a towel from the small cabinet for her hair. As a courtesy to Sakura (as well as to keep the water from dripping on the floor), she set another towel out on the closed toilet lid before tugging her robe into place. "I don't know why you're all panicked though. Kakashi-sensei probably won't be here for another hour."

"No, he said eleven. He's gonna be here any minute."

"… Sakura, since when is Hatake Kakashi on time for anything?"

Sakura paused in scrubbing her skin to consider that statement. Then, shaking her head, she answered, "No. He said I was worth showing up on time for. He'll be here."

Sighing, Ino shook her head and opened the door. "If you say so. But if he's not here in fifteen minutes, I'm leaving. I'm gonna be late as it is and I _really_ don't feel like listening to Shizune gripe about it." She purposely left the door open as she walked out, rubbing the towel through her hair as she walked back to her own room.

Sakura finished showering quickly, her hands slipping on the knobs in her haste to shut it off. Wiping a wet hand across her eyes, Sakura slid the door open and hissed as the cold air from the open bathroom door hit her like a slap of snow to the face. "Pig," she muttered fiercely as she snatched the towel off the toilet lid. Ino could be so childish sometimes! She dried herself off quickly before rubbing the towel through her short hair to get as much moisture as she could out of it. There wouldn't be time to dry it properly, which was very irritating considering what the humidity always did to it.

Ino slid by her as she left the bathroom, one hand holding her wet pony tail back and her teeth holding the hair tie. Sakura hugged the towel around herself as she jogged into her room and began pulling clothing out. Shit, what was she going to wear? She had absolutely _nothing_ that was even remotely date-like in her wardrobe except for the dress she'd worn their first night out! "Ino, what's the time?"

"Eleven-fifteen," Ino called back. The sound of something being tossed onto her bed made Sakura turn around. The blonde motioned to the bundle of turquoise on the bed with a nod of her head. "Try that. I bought it without trying it on, like an idiot. It's too tight on my boobs, which means it'll be perfect for you. And I told you he'd be late!"

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled back as she grabbed the dress to examine it. Surprisingly, it was actually rather cute. Normally Ino's clothing was _way _too revealing for her tastes. This one, while a little short, had a high neck to it. It was sleeveless as well, which was actually preferable for her. If she didn't know any better, she'd almost swear Ino had purchased the dress for her.

Quickly rifling through her underwear drawer, she pulled out panties and a bra that was close enough in color to the dress that it wouldn't look tacky if the straps showed. She stumbled over a stray pillow from her bed as she was trying to walk and tug the dress over her head at the same time. Her knee rammed into her bed frame hard as a result of this, causing her to hiss and curse as she fastened the dress around her neck and dropped to her knees to dig some shoes out from under her bed. Damn it, this _sucked_! Sakura was just wiggling her foot into a pair of sandals as she heard the jingling of Ino's keys.

"'Bye, Forehead! Try not to grope his ass today!"

"Can it, Pig!" she yelled, growling angrily when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Damn it, she _knew_ her shoulders were too wide! "Shit!" Sakura began tearing through her closet for a jacket of some kind to wear over the dress. There was _no way_ she was leaving with huge shoulders! Now she remembered why she didn't like going on dates. The whole getting ready thing was such a total nightmare!

After several minutes of fruitless searching for a jacket or something to camouflage her shoulders, Sakura gave up and hurried back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Any minute now and Kakashi would be at her door, she just knew it. She managed to tame her damp hair into a somewhat cute style, or at least she'd tell herself it was cute. A few unruly pieces didn't want to lie straight, but it was the best she could do with such little time. One more trip back to her bedroom for her purse and she was set.

Giving a satisfied huff of breath, Sakura grinned at her reflection before heading out into the living room to wait for him. A glance at the clock told her it was now eleven-thirty two. Okay… a half hour late. For Kakashi, that still counted as being on time. Sakura settled onto the couch and picked up one of Ino's magazines to read. A new diet… the latest chapter in a romance series that Ino claimed was beyond fabulous… the current fashion trends. Basically, it was the sort of mindless tripe that was good for killing time with. Smiling, Sakura opened the magazine and began to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Sakura gave an irritated huff as she finished reading the very last article in the magazine, her lips twisting ruefully as she tossed it back onto the table top. She leaned over and peered at the clock again, scowling when she noticed that it was now reading almost a quarter to one. Over an hour late for a time _he_ designated. Now she was getting pissed. Where the hell was he? He _had_ said that he was meeting her at her place, hadn't he? She couldn't recall now. Unfortunately, she'd been more preoccupied with the fact that they'd kissed not once but twice on the lips.

God… She still felt that odd tingle whenever she thought about it. Even with the mask separating their flesh, she'd still felt his mouth. There were definitely no fish lips waiting for her under that mask. She didn't need Kakashi to reveal his face to know that he had a nice mouth; thin, firm lips that were warm through the cotton shielding them. It had felt very nice, like the sort of mouth that the men in those romance stories had. If he ever pulled that mask down and…

She jumped at the soft knock on her door, her eyes flying open in surprise. She hadn't even been aware they'd closed to begin with. Clearing her throat as she rubbed at the goose bumps marching down her arms, Sakura walked over to the door and undid the locks while trying to suppress the images that were starting to flitter around her mind. A mouth was a mouth. Everyone had one, and Kakashi's wasn't any different than anyone else's. It had exactly the same features, from teeth to bacteria. There was no need to be all flustered over it.

Sakura gave herself a small shake to resettle her nerves and slid the door open, arching a brow as she assumed a mildly irritated glare for the man on the other side. All she got in response was Kakashi's infamous winking smile as he leaned on the doorframe. "You're late," she accused, settling one hand on her cocked hip. She let her gaze travel down his body, hoping to get a clue about the date by checking out what he was wearing. It probably looked like she was checking out his body to him, but that was okay… she guessed. Today, he was wearing what looked like his typical jounin uniform minus the flak vest, head protector and gloves. Nothing at all that told her what they were doing. She was beginning to think he didn't have a separate wardrobe for work and play.

Kakashi pulled a plain white bag from behind his back and a small paper cup with a lid. "You said to bring breakfast and strong tea. Apparently, breakfast stops being served at eleven." He gave a what-can-you-do shrug as he passed the items over to her.

"Well, if you'd gotten yourself out of bed earlier you would've been in time for it," she accused. "So, what's in the bag? An apology for being late?"

"Actually, it's the reason _why_ I'm late. You're incredibly lucky, you know, that I'm so charming and persuasive. The bakery made this especially for you."

Sakura took the bag and the tea, noting that the contents of both still felt warm. It appeared he wasn't lying this time around. Go figure. She opened the bag and peered in, her mouth watering a little at the sight of a chocolate stuffed pastry. "Persuasive, I'll give you. Charming… sometimes. And you're forgiven since you brought me chocolate."

"Ah. I'll keep that in mind for the future; chocolate gets me forgiven," he joked, causing her to pause in taking a bite of the pastry to stick her tongue out at him. "Nice dress, by the way."

Sakura smiled as she took the first bite of her breakfast, stepping aside to let him enter. She groaned appreciatively as the flakey pastry all but melted into her mouth, releasing the sweet taste of chocolate onto her tongue. Soooo good… She changed her mind; a fresh made chocolate stuffed pastry was the best thing ever. "Now you're just trying to score bonus points," she replied around the food in her mouth.

Kakashi stepped into her apartment slowly, glancing with mild curiosity around the space. She almost giggled when he caught sight of the bookcase that was to one side of their living room and all but bee lined toward it. He was such a book whore! "It's a shame you won't need a dress like that today," he commented idly as he tilted his head to the side to read the titles running up and down the spines. Most of the texts were of the medical nature, but there were a few recreational pieces in there. Like her whodunits and Ino's romance novels, a couple books Shizune had given her to read (which she hadn't) and a few cookbooks that saw little if any use.

Sakura frowned and swallowed her breakfast heavily. Suddenly, the chocolate didn't taste as good as it had a few minutes ago. Wait… he didn't mean what she thought he meant… right? Clearing her throat and taking a quick swig of tea, which she instantly regretted as it burned not only her tongue but her throat as well, Sakura choked out, "Why not?"

Glancing over his shoulder with an expression of absolute innocence on his face, Kakashi said, "Did I forget to mention it earlier? Sorry."

"You are _not_ sorry, you idiot! And why won't I need my dress?" To think she'd gone through the hassle of getting into an outfit she wasn't even going to use… While it was relieving he wasn't implying what she'd thought he was, it was still annoying that she'd wasted her time trying to look pretty. He'd have to get a hell of a lot more chocolate to make up for this! She knew damn well he hadn't given her any hints as to what they would be doing, too. Sneaky bastard…

Pulling out a book from the case (one of Ino's raunchy romance stories, she noted) to inspect more closely, Kakashi assumed a casual stance but kept his back to her. "I thought it'd be fun to stick with the theme of getting dirty."

"What are we doing then, seeing as you weren't nice enough to tell me this before hand?"

"I'll make it up to you."

"How?" Not only was she annoyed about a dress that wasn't going to see the light of day but he was giving her a headache. Lovely… Right then, an extra dose of training with a hung over Tsunade sounded more fun than a date with Kakashi.

Sighing heavily as he flipped the book open, Kakashi replied absently, "You might want to get changed into something that's not quite so pretty. Can I borrow this?"

Sakura snorted as she crammed the rest of her pastry into her mouth and trudged back toward her bedroom. "I don't care. It's Ino's, not mine."

"Hmm." She turned back in time to see him stick the book in the pouch at his back. The movement made her eyes widen a little when she caught a glimpse of orange. He had _Icha Icha_ with him. Hell, yeah! Suddenly, she wasn't quite as mad at him as she had been only moments ago.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" she called as she slid the door to her room shut, leaving enough of a crack open so that she could keep her eye on him without him peering in while she changed. She didn't want a bored Copy Ninja poking at her personal stuff, after all.

She heard Kakashi chuckle, prompting her to take a peek out to where he was wandering aimlessly around her living room. His back was to the door as he leaned forward to study one of the abstract prints on the walls, prompting her gaze to drop to his ass. Sakura slapped herself in the head, blushing as she quickly looked away. Damn Ino for mentioning his ass last night! "You'll see," he called back in a song-song voice. "Just hurry and get changed."

"This from the man who's perpetually late," she complained as she started pulling the dress over her head again. Sakura rolled her eyes when it got stuck near her shoulders, grumbling to herself about how wide they were as she shimmied her way out of it and tossed it on her bed. "I thought you said I was worth showing up on time for."

"Did I? I could have sworn I said _some things_ were worth showing up on time for."

She hesitated in pulling on her sports bra, her brows quirking in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Cherry-chan, that I never said anything about you being the thing worth showing up on time for."

"Fine, then what _were_ you talking about? And didn't I tell you not to call me that?" she snapped as she pulled on an old pair of training slacks and a t-shirt she hadn't worn in years. She grimaced when she noticed the shirt was fitting a little more tightly than she remembered. Great… just the cake topper she was looking for. She was getting fat. Now she regretted downing that chocolate pastry. Oh, yeah… _and_ the ice cream the night before. But not the cookies. The cookies had been low fat.

When Kakashi spoke next, it sounded farther away in her apartment, almost as if he had found his way into the kitchen. Crap, he was roaming around! That prompted her to dig under her bed for her sandals quickly, not wanting to leave him alone and bored in her place for very long. She could just imagine the evil things he was doing. "Aren't you full of questions today. First, the _thing_ was Kuroppoi. It's really such a wonderful place and I didn't want to miss it. And yes, you did say something like that. That doesn't change the fact that I like calling you Cherry-chan though."

"Jerk," she muttered as she exited her room swiftly and entered the kitchen just as he was pulling out a container of some random brown spice from the cupboard. As he twisted the cap off it turned the label toward her, letting her see it was cumin he'd pulled out. Cumin? Since when did they have cumin? Huh… "Stop poking around my apartment."

There was a faint wrinkling near his eyes as he drew back from having sniffed the spice before he capped it and returned it to the shelf he'd pulled it from. "It wasn't poking, it was a reconnaissance mission. Oh, and I like your panties."

"WHAT?" she shouted, her fingers curling into angry fists. The bastard had obviously been spying on her while she was getting changed! How else would he know what her panties looked like?

Kakashi pointed over her shoulder back into the living room, prompting her to spin around… and notice the basket of clean laundry sitting next to the television waiting to be folded. Her cheeks burned brightly when she spotted the bright, electric blue panties sitting directly on top of the pile. Oh… sweet… mercy…

She was gritting her teeth as Kakashi moved up to stand next to her, his hands tucked into his pockets and a slouch to his shoulders. "Are they boy shorts? Those are so sexy."

"Pervert," she snarled as she stomped across the room and grabbed the scrap of blue, cramming it with unnecessary force to the bottom of the basket. "And they're not mine, they're Ino's!" She was soooo gonna kill Ino for this!

Kakashi's eyebrows rose as he gave an approving nod. "Ah… so, you prefer thongs? I never would have guessed."

Sakura marched right up to him and jammed her finger hard into his chest, her temper soaring at the slight shift to his mask that meant he was grinning. "I don't wear thongs," she grit out, enunciating each word with a sharp stab of her finger. "Are you done checking out my roommate's stuff now?"

"I can't help it if Ino has interesting stuff. But if you don't wear thongs… does that mean you go commando?" His eyebrows rose and a devilish glint flickered through his eye before his gaze dropped downward. "Interesting."

She growled in wordless, spluttering ire as she stamped her foot hard enough to crack the tiled floor. He was so insufferable! At this rate, her sanity wouldn't survive long enough to carry out her mission! "Stop talking about my underwear, or lack of, and get moving!"

Kakashi surprised the hell out of her when he reached out and slid his fingers back through her hair, his palm cupping her cheek briefly in the process. Instantly the anger flooded out of her, replaced by a warm feeling that seemed to come about whenever he touched her like that. The strange fluttery feeling lurched sharply through her lower stomach as he tucked her hair back behind her ear, his fingers stroking down the side of her neck until they reached the junction of her shoulder. A shudder ran down her spine, followed closely by a tingle that was the result of having a very sensitive bit of skin touched so lightly.

"You really are too cute when you're mad at me," he spoke, his voice soft and a little more intimate sounding than before. "But I don't exactly feel like getting punched into next week so… enough teasing. For now, at least. I can't guarantee I'll be able to resist later."

"You're sick," she mumbled back while willing her knees not to buckle out from under her. The pooling warmth in her stomach was making it harder to breathe as he continued tracing his fingertips along the side of her neck, his gaze dropping to follow the movements. He had to have felt her pulse throbbing erratically with each pass of his hand on her throat, but he made no comment on it. Damn it, she had to get control of this! It wasn't helping at all that she practically turned to melted goo because of him. It was _supposed_ to happen the other way around!

He stepped back from her, returning his hands to his pockets as his open eye glittered mischievously at her. Sakura pressed a hand across her stomach, frowning at the feeling of loss that coursed through her. She had to remember what she and Ino had discussed the other night; a little attraction was okay because it would help reel him in to her. This was good… for the assignment, of course. "Perhaps. Or perhaps you're just too easily goaded," he replied, his eye crinkling closed. She was still too busy trying to sort out the odd sensation in her gut to give him the glare he so richly deserved.

"Keep this up and there's not gonna be a fourth date," she muttered, taking a deep breath in to help calm herself down again.

Kakashi held both hands up in mock defeat, assuming a very unrealistic expression of contrition. "Stopping now. Are you ready to go?"

Sakura huffed and rubbed her eyes wearily. Yep… she'd definitely need therapy after this was done and over with. "I've been ready," she groaned. "You're the one who's been wasting time!"

"A worthy cause is worth wasting time over."

"And the worthy cause here is…?" She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice in assuming he was talking about her.

He poked a finger to her cheek, his eye sparkling with amusement. "Seeing how many different shades of red you can turn in one day. So far, we're up to at least nine."

Arching a brow and giving him a disbelieving look, Sakura asked dryly, "_That's_ your worthy cause?"

"Mm-hm. Probably one of the most worthy causes in existence."

Shaking her head and shoving him on her way to the door, she muttered, "You really are a sick person, Kakashi."

"Good thing you're a medic then," he joked, winking over his shoulder as he led the way to the door.

Nope… she wouldn't need therapy. She'd need a shovel and a good hiding spot for his body. Sakura shook her head at his back before grabbing the neglected cup of tea and her keys off the hook by the door as she followed him out into the hallway. She frowned as she locked the door and indicated to the two travel packs sitting just outside her door with her head. "What's in there?"

Kakashi glanced toward the bags as if just noticing them for the first time. "Oh, those? Those are for our date."

"Which is…?"

Once again, it struck her as odd to see the familiar eye crease mirrored on both side of his face. Shrugging as he lifted both packs easily with one hand, he said, "We're going to burn off that chocolate pastry by hiking. I hope you don't mind, but I invited a few others with us as well."

A few… others? As in his friends? Oh, _great_. It took her a moment after his little announcement to realize what else he'd said. Jaw dropping in shock, Sakura swatted his arm and yelped, "Hey! If you think I'm fat then why'd you get me that stupid pastry anyway?"

Blinking slowly as if what she'd just said didn't make sense, Kakashi's gaze dropped to her waistline briefly before returning to her face. "It's not a question of weight, Sakura. We're going on a three mile hike, most of it through rough terrain. That pastry will be out of your system long before we finish."

Oh… right. Because that would make sense, too. Still blushing over her mistake, Sakura offered an apologetic smile. "So, is hiking one of your many hobbies that you mentioned but never elaborated on?" she questioned as she took the pack he held out to her.

Kakashi shrugged his own pack onto his shoulders and replied, "Mm… Not really. But it's necessary to hike to our date."

"You mean hiking _isn't_ the date?"

He sent a happy expression over his shoulder as they headed down the hall and said cheerfully, "Nope! It's what's at the _end_ of the hike that's our date."

"And that would be…?"

"…Something at the end of the hike."

Sakura groaned to herself and shook her head at his back. Why couldn't he just give a straight answer? Forget burying him. She was going to scatter pieces of Hatake Kakashi all over Konoha! Ducking under his arm as he pushed the door to the apartment building open, Sakura turned to face him as she asked, "So, are the people you invited hiking with us then? Or are we just gonna meet them wherever we're going? And who _did_ you invite anyway?"

Kakashi rolled his visible eye to the sky as if beseeching help from a higher power. "Wow… Sakura, you _do_ know this is a date and not an interrogation, right?"

She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him before grinning when he shook his head and sighed under his breath. "I can't help that I'm inquisitive! And you only fuel that by not telling me, you know."

Sighing once more only much louder, Kakashi's shoulders curled forward further than usual as his head dropped nearly to his chest. "I should have known better than to give you sugar first thing in the morning," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.

Laughing, Sakura poked him in the middle of his chest, earning her a lifted brow and mildly amused glance. "Come on, just one little hint? Pleeeease?" she wheedled, pulling out her most affective pout.

Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that pouting at Kakashi-sensei always led to extra laps or push-ups. The man was immune to the power of a good pout. When he simply arched a brow and crossed his arms over his chest while leveling his best yeah-so-what look on her, Sakura huffed and rolled her eyes. "You really are no fun, Kakashi!"

She wasn't quite quick enough to arch backward to avoid his hand ruffling her hair in retaliation for her statement. He chuckled as she glared at him and fixed her still damp hair in place once again. "If I'm no fun then why did you agree to a second and third date?" he questioned as he brushed by her and headed down the walkway for the street.

Jogging to catch up, Sakura fell into step beside him and answered sarcastically, "I really have no idea, but I'm thinking this will be the last time I make _that_ mistake."

She jumped a little when she felt Kakashi's hand close over hers and give it a quick, light squeeze. Immediately, Sakura glanced around and noticed a few unfriendly looks being directed at them, from both men _and_ women. She didn't need a mirror to know her cheeks were all but on fire as she quickly lowered her gaze to the ground, watching her feet move while a heavy, dismal feeling settled in her gut. She sighed heavily and once again wished she knew how to make the earth just swallow her up. This sucked so bad! Wasn't there _anyone_ in Konoha who wasn't either jealous of her or thinking she was using him to further her career?

"Something wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura jumped a little at his voice, blinking in surprise to be startled out of her miserable thoughts. "Huh? Oh! No… why do you ask?" she replied quickly before mentally kicking herself for not taking a second to get composed. Stupid… There was no way Kakashi wouldn't know something was bothering her now!

Kakashi turned just enough to give her a glance that was so completely unreadable that she knew he'd sensed her change in mood. Sakura forced a smile onto her face and crossed her fingers that it appeared genuine. She caught what almost sounded like a sigh from him before he simply said, "Okay."

In a way, it was a little relieving he wasn't going to press her until she told him what was wrong. But at the same time… Could he _be_ any more insensitive? Geeze! Here she was, a girl obviously upset about something, and he couldn't even pretend interest beyond asking if something was wrong? Still, he knew something was off with her, and that wasn't a good thing. Who wanted to date someone when they were miserable?

So, she did her best to ignore the people watching them and squeezed his hand just enough to get his attention to flash what she hoped was a happy grin up at him. "You know what would make me _really_ happy right now?"

"Gee, let me guess… information regarding the date?" he deadpanned. She nudged him with her elbow, the impact forcing a light grunt from him. She didn't need to see his face to know he was frowning as he rubbed his side. "And beating me up won't get me to dish either, so you might as well save your energy for the hike."

Sighing in defeat, Sakura scuffed her sandaled foot through the dirt street, kicking up a small puff of dust that billowed back against her pant leg. He was so stubborn! And with how guarded he was about answering a stupid question, how was she even expected to get _near_ his beloved books? If she didn't know better, she'd almost swear Tsunade had set her up for failure. Glancing at what she could see of his profile from the corner of her eye, Sakura chewed her lower lip hesitantly before asking in a quiet, wistful voice, "Just one tiny hint?"

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head as his thumb began rubbing in small circles against her hand. "Not a chance."

Sakura scowled at him before turning pointedly away, ignoring how nice his little impromptu hand massage felt. She knew he was only being difficult to get a rise out of her, but she couldn't help it. He was just so… Well, she wasn't sure _what_ exactly he was, to be honest. On the one hand, Kakashi made her want to tear her hair out before pummeling him into fleshy mashed potatoes. But then he would do something that was actually rather… sweet. Like bringing her a special made pastry for breakfast… even though he was late in getting there to begin with. It was a new facet to her lazy, somewhat insensitive, confusing, pig-headed-

"You're late, ya know. We've been waitin' since ten," a gruff voice said from… near her feet? Sakura glanced down and blinked in surprise to see a small pug dog sitting directly in front of the north gate. Looking beyond him, her eyes widened when she saw a total of four dogs sprawled out in the relative shade of the wall. She recognized them immediately by the vests they all wore; they were Kakashi's dogs. What were _they_ doing there?

"Ah, sorry about that," Kakashi explained, his tone suggesting he really wasn't as sorry as he claimed to be. "But I'd told Sakura that I would meet her at her apartment at eleven-,"

"-And you didn't show up until almost one," Sakura interrupted abruptly, smirking when the white dog with the odd tuft of black fur on its head gave a snicker.

"-So, obviously it would have been rude of me to leave a lady waiting," he continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I'll make it up to you though."

The large bull dog taking up the entire space underneath one of the trees growing nearby picked his head up and rumbled, "You still owe us from the last time."

"And the time 'fore that," the white dog chimed in. The sleepy looking dog with floppy ears grunted in agreement.

Sakura arched a brow as Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yes, of course. Does everyone remember Sakura-chan?" It wasn't the most subtle change in topic ever, but it worked nonetheless. Sakura stiffened in surprise as four sets of eyes shifted from Kakashi to her curiously. She smiled tightly and gave a quick wave, unsure how she was supposed to introduce herself to a pack of _ninja_ dogs. The last time she'd seen them hadn't been the most ideal situation for introductions.

Pakkun was the first to venture over and sniff her ankles. Sakura glanced at Kakashi, who only gave her his typical blank look to indicate it was her call how to proceed. He wasn't about to give her any hints here, probably in retaliation for outing him in front of his dogs about being late to pick her up. Letting out a low breath, Sakura squatted down and held her hand out for Pakkun to sniff instead. It was what she would have done were she meeting a normal dog for the first time ever. She could only hope she wasn't insulting them by treating them like the average dog.

The little pug snuffled his wet nose against her palm as soon as she offered it, making her squirm and fight not to giggle at the ticklish sensation. Finally, as if satisfied, Pakkun sauntered over toward Kakashi with an almost bored look to his face. "Yep, she's the one who used to get after that loud kid all the time. Told you I remembered her."

Sakura was about to tell him Naruto had it coming every single time but her reply turned into a squawk of surprise when something cold and wet came into contact with the sliver of her lower back that was exposed by the gap between her shirt and pants. Her arms flailed briefly before she managed to steady herself once again, but once she was in place she looked over her shoulder to see whose nose it had been.

The heavy eyed brown dog with the odd marking on its forehead was behind her, looking as if it were about to fall asleep any minute. It continued sniffing at her shirt as if she hadn't just about fallen over, but it was obvious from its expression that it wasn't really too interested. Smiling, Sakura was about to turn and pet it when another of the dogs came over, this time the enormous bulldog who was being surprisingly careful about not bowling her over. No sooner had it come over to investigate before Sakura found herself falling backward when the white dog came bouncing over and practically into her lap. She fell backward with a squawk of surprise and tried to right herself but the dogs didn't seem to care that she was trying to get up or that cold noses really did _not_ belong near her crotch. And Kakashi…

From the glimpses she caught of him through the shuffle of canine bodies, he was amused. "Mind giving me a hand?" she asked, the question sounding a lot more peevish than she actually was. She didn't mind the dogs at all, honestly. They were all very cute, though she had a feeling if she told them that they'd be less than thrilled with her opinion. But there were four of them, all about forty pounds and over, and there was just one of her weighing in at… well, that was nobody's business.

Kakashi made a big deal out of considering her request. While he took his precious time thinking the dogs continued sniffing her, which made her squirm and squeak in surprise whenever a nose brushed somewhere particularly sensitive. She was on her back now with the large bull dog snorting against her stomach, making her squirm and giggle as it found her ticklish spot. "Kakashi-sensei… please!" she begged through a fit of giggles that was quickly progressing to howling laughter the longer the dogs continued exploring her tickle spots.

Sighing and acting as if it were the biggest inconvenience in the history of inconveniences, Kakashi drawled, "Oh, alright." Sakura winced at the shrill whistle that got the dogs' attentions and sat up with a huff of breath as the dogs all wandered over toward Kakashi. "I think that's about all the introducing Sakura-chan's going to allow, guys. Besides, if we take much longer it'll be dark by the time we get there."

"S'not our fault you were late," the floppy eared dog muttered, causing the white one to snicker once again.

Eye narrowing in mild irritation, Kakashi shook his head before crossing his arms over his chest and glancing down inquiringly to where Sakura was still sitting and trying hard not to hiccup. "Well? If you're waiting for me to pick you up and carry you, you're going to be there for a long time."

Scowling and pushing to her feet quickly at his taunt, Sakura dusted the back of her pants free from any possible dirt and settled a glare at her former teacher. "Usually, it's considered polite for the guy to help the girl to her feet," she commented as she tugged her shirt more firmly over her stomach.

"So… it's polite to undermine your walking abilities. Huh," he returned instantly with a nonchalant shrug.

Sakura groaned as her hands fisted at her sides. One of these days… "Can we just get going?" she snapped. Then, without waiting for him to reply, she stomped off through the gates leading out into the dense forest area surrounding Konoha. The words _frustrating _and _annoying_ didn't even come close to describing him right then. She heard him calling to her but ignored him completely as she continued stomping down the wide main road. Like she was gonna hold up for him… Ha! Let _him_ catch up to _her_ for a change!

When something warm bumped into her leg, Sakura glanced down and was a little surprised to see the white dog trotting alongside her. "Umm… hi?"

The dog looked up at her with the widest grin on its muzzle, its pink tongue lolling out one side of its mouth. "Hiya!" he replied cheerfully while keeping an even pace with her. "Kakashi said to stick with ya since ya don't know where we're goin'."

Oh… _craaaaap!_ Sakura came to an abrupt halt and slapped a hand over her eyes at her own stupidity. It totally sucked the righteous indignation right out of her that she'd been storming off to a place she didn't know the location of. And Kakashi had just _let her_, too! She really wanted to be mad at him for allowing her to stalk off like that, but it wasn't really _his_ fault she hadn't thought it through all the way. A glance over her shoulder showed he was still a good distance back and taking his precious time in catching up with her, the rest of the dogs mulling around in front of and behind him. Great… She could just imagine the teasing he was going to torment her with once he caught up with her.

Sighing dismally at having wasted a perfectly good outburst, she sat down on the fallen tree by the side of the road and looked at the dog now sitting on the ground beside her, her lips twisting thoughtfully. "So, do you have a name?" she asked him, reaching out to smooth down a crease in his vest on impulse.

The dog seemed incredibly delighted she'd asked judging by the way his tail began wagging hard enough to thump loudly against the fallen tree. "I'm Jubei! And you're Sakura-chan."

"You can call me Sakura if you want."

"But I like Sakura-chan." Jubei's tail faltered in its earnest wagging as he tilted his head up to regard her curiously. "Can't I call ya that?"

She couldn't help smiling and reaching down to ruffle the patch of black fur on top of his head. "Sure, why not? Just don't ever call me Cherry-chan, got it?" She continued ruffling the soft fur on his neck, her smile softening as he grunted and leaned into her touch more heavily. Generally speaking, she was more of a cat person than a dog… But Jubei seemed like a really sweet guy. And _definitely_ very cheerful! She wasn't sure what she was expecting out of a ninja hound, but it certainly wasn't the easy going affection this one was showing.

Jubei stopped wagging altogether, his eyes narrowing as if he were thinking very hard about her response. Finally, he looked up at her again and asked slowly, "Why would I call ya that? Doesn't sound anything like Sakura-chan to me."

Sakura giggled and spared a glance at the rest of the group as they finally caught up with her and Jubei. "Never mind," she muttered. "Just don't do it, even if you hear _other people_ doing it, okay?"

"Okay! Oh, hiya, Kakashi! Sakura-chan and I were just talkin'. Would ya believe someone calls her Cherry-chan?" Jubei stood up and trotted over to Kakashi happily, bouncing ever so slightly in order to get his attention.

Meeting Sakura's embarrassed gaze steadily, Kakashi feigned utter disbelief as he questioned, "Really? How odd." He reached down and rubbed the excited dog's ears to placate him and keep him from jumping on him.

"Yeah, I know! I mean, it doesn't even _sound_ like Sakura-chan," Jubei continued, following Kakashi as he made his way over to the log and took a seat next to Sakura. Sakura refused to look at him, though she could feel him studying her profile intently. It made her cheeks burn up as she fidgeted and picked at the dried bark with her fingernails.

Kakashi made a sound of agreement while scratching the sleepy dog's ears when it rested its head on his thigh. Several seconds passed where neither of them said a thing or even looked at each other. The dogs started to settle themselves around on the ground or began exploring amongst the trees, noses ruffling through the old, drying leaves covering the dirt and tree roots. Sakura continued picking at the tree bark, unsure of his mood at the moment. He was quiet, but she couldn't really tell from his profile whether she'd made him angry or if he was laughing at her. He was just… blank. It was almost eerie how he could suppress his emotions from showing so easily.

Finally, she let out a heavy sigh and mumbled, "Sorry." She peered at him out of the corner of her eye, sucking her lower lip between her teeth anxiously as she waited for his reaction.

Blinking once, Kakashi turned slowly to look at her. "For what?"

"For…" Walking off? Getting annoyed with him? Seducing him because her crazy mentor made a stupid bet? "I don't really know, to be honest."

"Ah. Well, perhaps you should save that apology for when you absolutely need it," he replied lightly. She could just make out the shifting of his cheeks under his mask in the afternoon sunlight, letting her know he was smiling at her. Not that she needed to see his mouth to know that anyway. His open eye had a spark of gentle amusement in it that brought out an answering, although hesitant, smile from her.

"So… you're not mad?" she pressed.

"Sakura, you'll have to try a lot harder than that to get on my shit list. In fact, stomping off to an unknown destination is more amusing than annoying, don't you think?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the light teasing but she didn't do anything more than nudge him playfully with her elbow. "You just _had_ to get that one in, didn't you?" she complained, though her disgruntled tone was ruined by the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Kakashi chuckled and shrugged as he stood up. "Well, I couldn't resist when you provided such excellent fodder. Ready to get going?"

Her eyes widened a touch as he held his hand out for her to take. She glanced up at his half covered face, fully expecting to see amusement crinkling his eyes. Instead, all she saw in his visible eye was calmness, as if it didn't matter one way or the other if she refused his offer. Sakura arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest belligerently. "What, it doesn't look like I can get up on my own?" she demanded, only half serious about her words.

"According to a very strange person, it's considered polite to help an able bodied young woman to her feet."

"Since when have _you_ been concerned about being polite?"

"Since that same very strange person decided to go hiking without me. So?"

It was a futile effort to fight the grin from spreading across her cheeks as she reached out and took his hand, letting him haul her to her feet. "You know," she said thoughtfully as they began walking again. "You _could_ always-,"

"I already told you; I'm not saying a word," he cut her off, his tone still light and friendly but carrying an edge that said this fact was non-negotiable.

Sakura rolled her eyes in his general direction. "Fine! I didn't wanna know anyway."

"Good. Because I'm not telling."

"Okay!"

"Okay."

Sakura glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and noticed he was watching her as well. She could just make out the briefest flicker of laughter in his eye, which made her glance away before a giggle could break free from her throat. The process of glancing at him, noting that he was trying not to laugh and looking away before she caved in was repeated a few times before it became too much for her aching cheeks to take. Her laughter spluttered out of her so suddenly that she clapped her free hand to her mouth to stifle it. "Do you know how silly that just sounded?" she asked through her giggles.

"On a scale of one to ten… I'd give it a four," Kakashi replied. "Now, if we'd both stuck our tongues out at the same time… _Maybe_ a seven." The slight crinkling near the corner of his eye told her he was definitely grinning under the mask. He tugged on her hand to pull her in against his side before releasing it in favor of settling his arm around her shoulders as naturally as if he'd been doing it for years. At first, Sakura was hesitant about looping her arm around his waist, but then it occurred to her that the pouch holding _Icha Icha _was also on his back… and so she slid her arm in place, her fingers tracing lightly along the area where his over shirt met his pants_._

"What does it matter if you stick your tongue out? No one would see it," she teased quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed her hesitation from before. She glanced down as one of the dogs nudged her free hand expectantly, her smile widening in response to the hopeful look on Jubei's face. She reached down and ruffled the longer fur on his head, his tail wagging so hard it forced the bulldog behind him to back up to avoid getting whipped across the face.

"Their loss then. My tongue's my best feature."

Sakura laughed and pinched Kakashi's side just hard enough to earn a mild glare from him. "That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard! There's nothing attractive about a person's tongue!"

For some reason, her reply seemed to amuse him to no end. She could feel more than hear his laughter vibrating through the arm she had around his waist. Sakura's smile slipped a little as Kakashi shook his head and ran a hand across his eyes almost wearily. "Sakura, you say the cutest things."

"Okay… thanks?" She had a feeling though that he was making fun of her, not paying her a compliment. But she didn't know what was so funny about what she'd said. Tongues were… well, they weren't exactly the first thing she looked at when checking a guy out. They were just really wet slabs of muscle that aided in digestion. Nothing attractive at all there, in her opinion at least. "I bet your smile's your best feature," she added, smiling shyly up at him when he glanced at her.

"Oh, and what makes you think that?" he asked back, his fingers pressing into her shoulder in a gentle sort of massage. Damn… did that feel good! Her shoulders were always aching these days, what with the incredibly difficult training Tsunade put her through constantly, and Ino gave really crappy massages. She felt awful for the patients who were assigned to her roommate for physical therapy.

Sakura shrugged and grinned at his questioning look. "Just a hunch, that's all. I bet you have dimples, too."

"That I can tell you I don't have," Kakashi replied quickly, as if the very idea of having dimples made him cringe.

"Then what _do _you have?" she pushed while subtly shifting her hand from his hip toward the pouch that was just within reaching distance. She wasn't going to steal the book now or anything. All she wanted to do was see how far she could get before he noticed.

"Well," he began slowly, acting as if he were about to impart some deep and meaningful knowledge onto her. "I have a nose. A mouth, too. And somewhere underneath this mask there are some cheeks, which are completely dimple free. Oh, and mustn't forget the chin. But the very _best_ thing is-,"

"-Not your tongue!" Sakura interrupted quickly before laughing as his head drooped in dismay that she'd caught onto him. "Your tongue is _not_ your best feature!"

"There are some people who would argue that point with you." A jolt ran through her when Kakashi lifted his hand from her shoulder to rub his knuckles gently along her jaw line. That fluttery feeling returned once again only this time it was warmer and moving _down_ from her stomach, stirring up something she'd never felt before. It was almost like an ache in a way, except instead of hurting it felt good. _Really_ good, actually. Better even than when he'd been massaging her shoulder.

Sakura had to swallow hard and take a shaky breath before she could say, "I don't believe you." Her eyes closed in embarrassment at the slight squeak to her voice. Lovely… just lovely. She pretended to cough lightly as if she'd had something tickling her throat while she'd been talking. Meanwhile, she edged her hand just the tiniest bit closer to the pouch that was just barely peeking out from underneath the pack on his back.

Unfortunately, she couldn't go any further than that since the pouch holding the prize was completely lost under the bulk of the bigger pack. There was no way she could get it open she realized wryly, not without actually _lifting_ the pack away to get to it. By the time she did that, Kakashi would be on to her and she'd be walking home to Konoha a jolly blue mess. Letting out a quiet sigh, Sakura smoothed her hand out against his side again and gave up on pushing it any further. At least she had _some_ idea now of how far she could go without him noticing.

Kakashi shrugged indifferently and seemed oblivious to her cover up tactics as he began toying with the ends of her hair idly. Her fingers curled into the worn fabric of his shirt as he twisted a lock around one finger over and over again. Each twirl caused his fingertip to brush lightly along the spot right behind her ear, sending a shudder down her spine she couldn't have suppressed if she'd tried. Damn it… "You don't have to, but that's what I've heard people say."

Arching a disbelieving brow, Sakura demanded, "Prove it!" She was rather proud of the fact that her voice didn't sound like she'd sucked down half a tank of helium this time. Maybe she could pass it off as a frog in her throat after all.

It confused her when Kakashi flinched as if her command was somehow painful to him. "Maybe some other time," he muttered, but his voice sounded a little strained to her ears and he'd stopped playing with her hair. Sakura wondered why he was reacting so strangely to her requesting him to stick his tongue out and show her, but those thoughts were overshadowed by the disappointment that he'd stopped touching her. His hand was on her shoulder again but it had just about as much affect as if it were Naruto's arm draped over her. Great, she'd scared him off somehow. Sakura sighed and dropped her gaze to her feet. It looked like she was back to square one in Operation Seduce Sensei.

The dogs were wandering around as they kept walking, Jubei running ahead of them only to turn and bark at the others. The other three stayed within reaching distance of Sakura and Kakashi and didn't seem at all interested in their energetic comrade and his game. Eventually, Jubei came running back to them, circled their group once and took off running again before repeating the process over and over. Apparently, he'd created a brand new game to keep himself occupied with until the hike started.

Sakura was just starting to wonder when exactly they were going to stop walking and start hiking when Kakashi suddenly dropped his arm from her shoulders in order to take her hand. "Hope you don't mind uphill climbing," he said over his shoulder as he veered off the main road to the right… and directly toward what had to be the largest, steepest hill she'd ever seen in her life.

Sakura was still gaping at the mini mountain as she followed him down one side of the ditch and up the other, entering the thickly wooded forest that bordered either side of the road and covered every inch of their path. Once they were on the edge of the forest, Kakashi released her hand and kept on going, fully expecting that she would be right behind him. "Wait… _This_ is where we're hiking?" she asked incredulously, stopping dead in her tracks as she looked up the sloping side looming before her.

Kakashi paused with one foot planted on a fallen tree in preparation for stepping over it and glanced back at her inquiringly. "It's only a little under three miles, Sakura." His tone suggested that she should be able to do this no problem. Yeah… no problem except for the slippery leaves, hidden tree roots and _no trail_! What the _hell_ was he thinking? This wasn't a date, this was a training session! Of course, it _could_ be argued her paintball date was a training session as well. Crap… Now he probably thought she wasn't into the normal, romantic sweep-a-girl-off-her-feet sort of dates. Greeeeeeat.

Shaking her head and ducking under a low hanging branch to follow him, she muttered, "Whatever's at the end of this had better be beyond amazing."

"It is, I promise. And if it isn't… I'll take you out somewhere nice when I get back from the mission, my treat. Deal?"

"Deal."

Kakashi's eyes creased happily as he finished stepping over the log and slung his pack off his shoulder. "Okay… Do you guys mind gathering around for a second?" All four dogs obediently circled around Kakashi, their eyes trained on him expectantly. Even Jubei was perfectly still and alert, which really said something for Kakashi's training if the excitable dog sobered up at only a word from him.

The soft sound of a zipper being pulled had Sakura hurrying as best she could through the clinging branches and dead leaves to his side to see what he was pulling out. She pushed her way between the bulldog and the sleepy one until she was able to climb up and kneel on the log to peer over his shoulder curiously.

Kakashi was quick to turn his shoulder away, effectively shielding her from seeing what was in his hand. "Uh-uh. That's cheating, Sakura," he admonished playfully.

"Aw, c'mon!" she complained, tugging on his unyielding shoulder in an effort to get him to turn around again.

"Do you really want to see?"

She nodded eagerly, grinning as she leaned forward excitedly.

"I'll show you, but you have to give me something in return."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the mischievous tilt to his eye. Oh, God… She could only imagine what kind of perverted thing he was thinking about! "What?" she asked slowly.

"I get to call you Cherry-chan for the rest of the day."

"Hell, no!" Sakura shouted, shoving his shoulder hard enough to rock him forward a bit. It wasn't what she'd been expecting him to ask, but it was still bad enough in her opinion.

"Why does that name bother you so much?" he asked while still making certain she couldn't see what was in his hands.

Wrinkling her nose, Sakura tugged on a strand of her pink hair and said, "Because of this. I've heard every sort of cherry nickname in existence because of my name and hair color. It's _soooo_ unoriginal and overused by now."

Kakashi nodded and shrugged his concession of her point. "That makes sense, I suppose. Okay, then what _will _you do for a hint to our date?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the question, but Kakashi's face gave away nothing to suggest he was anything but innocent about asking what she would do. That didn't mean he wasn't acting on perverted instinct or anything though. Still, he _was_ providing a perfect opportunity for her to kill two birds with one stone. She could use this as an excuse to kiss him and build further on seducing him… And she could use it as an excuse to kiss him again to get it out of her system. The only way to stop the butterflies from happening was to kiss him enough times that it became old news. It was like throwing a kunai, so to speak. The more she did it, the more easy it became.

Smiling, she leaned toward him and let her gaze drop to his jaw line flirtatiously. "How about a kiss?" she suggested, catching her lower lip between her teeth as her stomach jerked at the very idea. That reaction only reconfirmed this was the right thing to do. The sooner she got over this feeling of being sick but not sick the better.

Kakashi blinked slowly, as if he were having trouble processing what she'd just said. Sakura remained waiting as his heavy lidded gaze briefly slid down to where she was still chewing on her lower lip before returning to meet her eyes. There was something to his dark grey eye that made her breath catch somewhere in her chest and her heart skip a sharp beat. She could feel heat rising in her cheeks as he leaned just a little closer to her, enough so that his shoulder was brushing along her collar bone and she could almost feel his breath through the cotton covering the lower half of his face.

"No deal," he murmured, his low voice sending a shiver down her spine and momentarily deafening her to his response.

Blinking slowly and unable to tear her eyes from the area of cotton that had moved with his words, Sakura cleared her throat and asked, "What? Why not?" Was he saying he hadn't liked kissing her the other night? A flicker of outrage began stirring within her, but it was being held back by the fact that his mouth was now definitely close enough to hers that she could feel his breath tickling against her lips and chin. It occurred to her that he was teasing her right then, purposely withholding what she was after to get a rise out of her. Instead of irritating her though it made her feel… anxious? No, that wasn't quite right. It was more like her lips were itching and relief was just a scant few centimeters away.

"Because I'll be getting that anyway, regardless of whether you see the clue or not. So… no deal."

Sakura nearly fell over when he stood up with a soft laugh and purposely turned his back on her. Scowling at his shoulders as he crouched down to allow the dogs to circle him and see what he was holding, she called out sullenly, "Your loss. It would have been one helluva kiss."

"I look forward to you giving it to me later," he replied, oblivious to the narrow eyed glare boring holes in his back. The dogs began crowding in around him, shoving each other aside in order to get close enough to sniff whatever he had for them. Sakura stood up on the log to try and peer through the furry mass as well, but it was useless. There were simply too many dogs swarming around and Kakashi's shoulders were curved to prevent her from peeking. Short of being able to see through his back, there was no way she was going to see it.

Sighing, Sakura dropped back down to straddle the fallen tree, her lips twisting irritably as the dogs began circling away from Kakashi. The Copy Nin stood after the bulldog finally moved away to join its comrades, carefully covering his surprise up before performing a quick fire seal with his hands. The item flared briefly before fizzing out with a soft poof of smoke and flaking ash. As soon as it was destroyed, Kakashi wiped his hands clean of the remaining ash and settled his pack to his shoulders again. "Do you all have it?" he asked, glancing around the circle of dogs surrounding him.

A chorus of 'yeps' and 'got its' came from the dogs, who were all watching Kakashi intently. All the eyes trained on the white haired man were glittering with barely restrained excitement, their muscles tensed and bodies poised for sudden action. They were waiting for him to give the signal, Sakura realized, and their anticipation was even starting to make her shift anxiously.

Kakashi hooked his thumbs behind the straps of his pack and shifted his weight to one foot as he continued surveying the eagerly awaiting dogs calmly, as if the intensity their tension was causing in the air didn't affect him in the least. Sakura couldn't see much of his expression from where she was sitting since the profile with the Sharingan was facing her, but she could almost imagine that he had that same look in his open eye that he always got when they were on missions; impersonal, aloof and completely business like. At that moment, this wasn't a date at all. This was strictly training and a part of her really resented that.

"Scatter!"

The dogs were gone so fast that the breeze created in their passing whipped through Sakura's hair like a windstorm. She yelped in surprise and very nearly would have fallen backward off the tree trunk were it not for a strong hand clamping on her shoulder to prevent that from happening. Sakura only had time to give a surprised glance up at Kakashi before he was moving away from her at a brisk pace. "We better get going now if we expect to get there before they do," he called over his shoulder.

Still reeling from the speed of the ninken, Sakura scurried, tripped and flailed her way through the trees to catch up with Kakashi, who was moving as if the very trees were parting just for him. He made avoiding hidden pits and tangled roots look so easy she couldn't help feeling a little jealous at the unfairness of it all. "Wait a second! What's going on? Why do we need to get there before they do? Kakashi-sensei, _answer me!_"

Without slowing a bit, Kakashi replied, "What's going on is that we're racing Pakkun and the others to our date location."

"But they're so much faster than us!" she shouted. Was he _insane_? There was no way they could catch up to that kind of speed!

"True… but they don't know where the location is. While they may have the speed factor over us, I know where the chase ends. _And_ we won't have to work our way through traps and false trails either."

Huffing as she finally managed to make it up alongside him, Sakura grabbed his arm and forced him to stop and face her. "Then why do we have to beat them there? If we're all gonna end up in the same place, what's the point in rushing?" He'd said they were hiking. He'd never said anything about a wild sprint through the wilderness!

Kakashi regarded her with a level, tolerant look, almost as if he were dealing with a small child and not someone who was an adult… almost. "Because, Sakura, if we don't not only will we have to give them all belly rubs but they'll also win the date I had planned for you as well."

Sakura's eyes widened at his words as she shook her head vigorously. "Oh, _hell no!_ They are _not_ stealing _my date!_" she snarled fiercely. There was no way in hell she was letting a group of dogs go on a date that was promised to her, even _if_ the date felt more like a training exercise than a romantic outing! She took off in front of him once again, all but throwing herself through the obstacles that came with hiking through a dense forest. "Which way?"

"Straight ahead for about a quarter of a mile," Kakashi answered from beside her, easily matching the quick pace set by her much shorter legs.

"You are such an incredible jerk, Hatake Kakashi," she continued to rant as she shoved aside errant branches and stomped through piles of dead leaves. "And who the hell do you think you are, roping me into belly rubbing duty? They're _your_ dogs, not mine!"

"Well, there are four dogs and one me. I figured if we both did it we'd be done in record time," he replied without a trace of remorse in his voice.

Sakura rolled her eyes heavenward and almost wished for a stray bolt of lightning to strike at just that moment. Knowing her luck, however, that lightning bolt would probably hit her instead of him. Wouldn't _that_ just be a lovely addition to her day? "Again, not my dogs so not my problem! I can't _believe_ you gambled on my date… which you're still refusing to tell me about!"

"Think about it like this; if we don't get there before the ninken find it, at least you won't know what you're missing out on."

"I hate you."

"That's fine, now move faster."

Seething and gritting her teeth to keep from really letting him have it, Sakura began moving at a slow jog through the trees. A rush of wind from where Kakashi had been caused her to look up into the trees just in time to catch his dark figure flying ahead through the tree branches. Apparently, she wasn't moving fast enough for him. So much for the hiking portion of the date, too! Shaking her head, Sakura followed his example and channeled enough chakra into her feet to launch her into the tree tops as well, moving quickly to follow the trail of lightly bouncing branches in his wake. This really sucked! As if hiking wasn't bad enough, now she was racing with a pack of dogs to keep them from getting her date! She honestly didn't care _what_ was at the end of the 'hike', he still owed her a nice, _normal_ date when he got back!

* * *

He had to admit… he hadn't expected her to go along with all this. Granted, Sakura was probably irritated with him and would more than likely insist he take her out to a nice restaurant or something when he returned, but he was rather surprised at how agreeable she was. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder and arched a brow when he noticed she'd caught up to him rather quickly. Yes… She'd certainly gotten _much_ faster under Tsunade's tutelage. A pleased smile crossed his lips as he returned his attention to the trees in front of him. Now then… Time to test just _how_ much faster she'd gotten.

With a sudden kick, Kakashi used the thicker portion of the tree he had just landed on to push off and into the air. Branches fell away as he was suddenly air born, the feeling of being surrounded by nothing exhilarating as a rush of adrenaline pounded through his veins. Of course, the sensation of practically hanging in midair only lasted for a matter of seconds before gravity inevitably pulled him back down again. Kakashi caught the branch of the next tree and swung himself back into the air, twisting midway through to change his path into a zigzagging pattern designed to dislodge someone from following. He had no intention of losing Sakura in the forest or anything. He was just genuinely curious as to how well she actually _could_ keep up.

He glanced over his shoulder once again when the sounds of shouted threats came from the girl behind him. Sakura looked about ready to launch a kunai at his skull, which was equal parts disturbing and amusing. She was falling back a bit but she still managed to keep him in sight and follow each sudden swerve and turn he threw at her. She actually looked rather… well… impressive as she moved from tree to tree in his wake. The way her lean legs worked and strained to maintain her speed, the slight scrunching of concentration between her eyes, the play of sunlight off her toned-

"Oh, shit," he muttered as he missed his next step and very nearly plummeted out of the tree completely. Fortunately, he managed to grab the branch he'd slipped off of and swung himself upward again, turning what would have been an embarrassing disaster into a smooth, seemingly planned maneuver. If she noticed, she was keeping it to herself, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Blackmail in the hands of a girl like Haruno Sakura was a very, _very_ bad thing. Still… It would serve him right for getting distracted by her, ah… _impressive_ physique.

A flicker of movement to the right caught his attention and the flash of tawny colored fur weaving between the trees told him that at least one of the dogs (besides Pakkun, of course) hadn't been knocked off the trail yet. Considering he'd literally spent his entire afternoon the day before smothering the stretch of forest with as many false trails and jutsu traps as he could think of, it was rewarding that some the hounds were on the correct trail. Or else they'd simply hung back and followed him, which was equally clever though not the purpose of the exercise. However… If the hounds beat them to the date location, he had a feeling Sakura would do a lot more than just blackmail him.

So, seeing as his own speed was hampered by the fact that he didn't want to get too far ahead of her, Kakashi did the only thing he could to ensure they would win the race; he cheated. And no, it didn't bother him one bit to win through deception. Anyone who complained cheating wasn't fair had obviously never been in a fight to survive before. Cheating was completely within the rules of combat and was, in fact, encouraged for ninja in particular. When done correctly, cheating was an incredibly useful tool.

And he'd had years to perfect the technique.

The next branch he came to was where he put the plan into motion. He landed on the narrow limb and redirected a little extra chakra to his feet to stop his forward momentum completely, allowing him to almost literally pivot on a ryo around the main trunk. As he slipped behind the thicker portion of the tree, Kakashi worked a quick Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, followed immediately by a jutsu to disguise his scent. As soon as his clone appeared on the branch he'd been standing on, he motioned sharply for it to keep moving forward. His clone winked and took of through the trees just as the dog tracking him (it looked like Yaku from where he was perched) circled back after discovering he wasn't still running. Yep, he'd been right. It was Yaku who'd decided to be lazy, no surprise there. That dog was in for it when this was over with.

As soon as Yaku picked up the faint scent of his clone flying through the trees he took off running after it, completely unaware that it was going to continue running straight until he either caught it or Kakashi released the jutsu. Kakashi grinned and shook his head. That should teach Yaku for being lazy! Now, all he had to do was wait for Sakura to catch up to finalize the plan and then it was off to their date.

He didn't have to wait long for her and she wasn't exactly trying to keep her voice down, which allowed him to hear some pretty interesting (and physically impossible) suggestions about what he could do to himself. As soon as he heard her sandal connect with the tree branch on the other side of the trunk, Kakashi reached around and snagged his arm around her waist, dragging her around the side of the tree. Her breath exploded from her in a startled 'oof' before he quickly clamped a hand on her mouth.

"Wuph da 'ell?" she so eloquently yelled into his palm while trying to twist her way free from him.

"Shh," he cautioned against her ear. He couldn't help grinning as her body switched from fight mode to stiff-with-shock in the space of a heartbeat. Sensing that she wasn't about to pummel him into a fleshy spatter, Kakashi loosened the arm he had wrapped tightly around her waist and removed his hand from her mouth. "Make a clone."

"What?" she hissed back, turning just enough to give him a bewildered glance over her shoulder.

"We're being followed. Make the clone."

Shaking her head and letting out a frustrated sigh, Sakura formed the necessary seals to create a Kage Bunshin clone. As soon as it appeared with a small pop in front of them, Sakura muttered, "Now what, _sensei?"_

Ignoring the mocking use of his title, Kakashi motioned to the clone waiting for its orders and said, "My clone's just up ahead. Mind following him for a bit?"

Clone Sakura giggled and gave her creator a very coy, mischievous look. "_My pleasure_," she said, her tone suggesting that her response was more meaningful than it implied. Sakura groaned and covered her face with her hands, but not quick enough to hide the raging blush on her cheeks.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why the girl was redder than red. Obviously, she'd been enjoying her view from behind very much and her clone had just outed her on it. Hmm… It seemed little Sakura was a bit more perverted than she wanted to let on. How very interesting. And flattering as well. Kakashi added his ass to the list of things she liked while fighting the urge to chuckle. Apparently, he'd done a poor job of keeping it back because her elbow suddenly ground into his ribs hard enough to make him wince. Damn… He wasn't sure if she was actually stronger than she had been or of she just had insanely sharp elbows, but it didn't change the fact that he had yet another bruise to add to his collection.

"Just… get outta here already!" the embarrassed girl ground out to her giggling clone. Clone Sakura winked, though it was unclear if it was at her creator or Kakashi, and took off after his clone once again. A few seconds later and a streak of white went zipping across the ground in her wake, barely even disturbing the leaves it was bounding over. Ah… That would be Jubei. It figured he'd be the one tailing Sakura, seeing as they'd had a lovely bonding session not too long ago.

As soon as both the clone and the dog were out of sight, Kakashi kept his arm around her waist and pulled her with him when he leaned back against the trunk. Her back was still incredibly tense where it was pressing against his chest, either from his proximity or her clone practically calling her out on staring at his ass. He pretended he didn't notice as he rubbed his free hand up and down her arm soothingly, instead focusing for sounds that the dogs had caught on to the ploy. Even though they really had to get moving, Kakashi knew she was quickly losing her patience with him. A break would at least give her a chance to cool down, even if it did put them at a greater disadvantage.

"You said this was a date," Sakura muttered accusingly, not bothering to turn and face him.

"Actually, if you wanted to get technical about the phrasing, I asked if you wanted to do something," he replied, grunting as her elbow shot backward and connected with his lungs once again. "However," he continued as he rubbed the newly tender spot soothingly. "There _is_ a date involved."

"Yeah, one I have to compete with your dogs for!"

"You honestly believed that?" he asked with a short, amused laugh. The look she shot over her shoulder told him that yes, she _had_ believed him when he'd said that. Kakashi knew it was going to get him into to trouble, but he couldn't help it. His laughter escaped from him in silent shudders that were impossible for her not to feel, seeing as she was leaning back against him. And he continued laughing even when she turned and landed a hard swat to his shoulder.

"You mean to tell me this entire time you were _joking about that_?" she yelled, shoving away from him so that she could pace back and forth across the branch, moving as if it wasn't at most only four inches wide. Even though she was beyond angry with him and he was still terribly amused that she'd thought he'd been serious about racing the ninken for the date, he had to admire the fact that her chakra control was as flawless as ever. She was only a chuunin but she made the walk along a narrow branch look effortless. He knew quite a few jounin who would kill for that kind of ease.

"You mean to tell me you think I'd stoop so low as to make you race the hounds for a date?" he returned, purposely using her exact phrasing and chuckling when her shoulders scrunched up in annoyance. She really was too cute for her own good at times.

"Then why the hell did you make me sprint across the damned forest like that?" Sakura seethed, marching back over with her hands curled into tight, shaking fists.

Instead of taking her posture as the potential threat that it was, Kakashi reached out and took a hold of her wrist to pull her back to him again. She stubbornly planted her feet against the branch and turned away with an obstinate pout on her face. Fine, she wanted to play difficult? He could work with that. Keeping his grip on her wrist, Kakashi solved the problem of proximity by going to her rather forcing her to come to him. Sometimes, the most effective means to defeating an enemy was to counteract with an equal and opposite attack. It made sense then that his best weapon against Haruno Sakura's temper was… gentleness.

He heard her breath catch as he leaned down and brushed his lips across the top of her head lightly, the movement causing her chest to rise sharply against his front. Slowly, he let his free hand stroke down her arm, using her shirt sleeves to his benefit by letting it tease along her skin. He continued rubbing her arm, moving slowly from her wrist to her shoulder and back again until the tension between her shoulder blades eased up and she began to lean into him a little.

Hesitantly, Sakura brought her hands to his waist. When he made no move to stop her, she pressed her hands more firmly into his sides and circled her arms around him as far as the pack would allow. Kakashi smiled against her hair, satisfied that she wasn't going to beat the ever loving shit out of him any longer. Tentatively, he allowed his hands to drop to her hips and circle around until his fingertips were running along the waistband of her pants, right near the base of her spine. When a shudder ran down her back at the touch, Kakashi pressed his fingers in a little more surely before massaging upward. The movement brought her fully against him, the impact of which made her fingers tighten in the fabric of his shirt and her breath hitch.

Shivering little gasps of air puffed out against his chest, accompanied by a soft groan that made him freeze with his hands splayed across the middle of her back. She'd sounded damned near sensual right then, as if he were touching other areas than her back. If it were anyone but Sakura, he would have been surprised at how responsive they were to such a simple touch. However… this _was_ Sakura, his very innocent ex-student who he was fairly certain had never even kissed a man before the other night. For the first time since he'd agreed to play her game, he was beginning to doubt if this was the right approach. More than likely he'd already taken her first kiss. What if it were to come to…

Kakashi bit the insides of his cheeks sharply, stopping that line of thought from continuing any further. It wouldn't come to _that. _There was no need for it after all, seeing as it wouldn't be necessary to sleep with her to seduce her. He'd done it before and on much tougher targets than the girl clinging to his shirt. So… he would stick to flirting and maybe a little foreplay but nothing else, no matter what his sex drive tried to tell him.

And right then, it was trying to tell him her shampoo would smell better on his sheets. Clearing his throat lightly as he moved his hands to her shoulders, Kakashi set her back from him and very firmly told his libido to shut the hell up. "We should get moving now before it gets any later in the day," he said cheerfully as he let go of her completely in favor of resettling the pack on his back.

"That sounded a little like you're trying to change the subject," she said with a breathy, almost nervous sounding, laugh.

"That's exactly what it is. You're a little… distracting."

The blush that flooded across her face said the compliment had definitely hit home, as was intended. She glanced down at the forest floor below almost shyly, her fingers toying with her hair like she couldn't quite keep her hands still. "In a bad way?" she asked anxiously.

Kakashi pinned a sardonic look on her and didn't bother dignifying her question with an answer. She was fishing now and he wasn't the type to cater to that sort of thing, even if it would put him one step closer to his goal.

Sakura grinned back at him and shrugged. "I'll take that as a no, not in a bad way. Don't think I'm gonna just forgive you because of one compliment though!"

Kakashi smiled at her quip and reached out to ruffle her hair, which earned him an annoyed gasp as she hastily sought to correct the damage. "Of course not. That's why chocolate was invented."

Sakura shook her head at him but her smile said that, despite her words, he was completely forgiven for the crime of being misunderstood. "And dinner out when you get back. _Your_ treat," she amended, her fingers still combing out the tangles he'd so painstakingly rumpled through her hair.

"Wasn't that the deal anyway if you didn't enjoy your surprise date?"

"No, I mean in _addition_ to this ridiculous date of yours," Sakura replied, giving a sharp poke of her finger to his stomach. "And I don't mean out to Ichiraku Ramen either. Somewhere nice so I can wear that dress, got it?"

"I'll see what I can do," he muttered dismally, knowing he was probably stuck with taking her out somewhere fairly pricey and hating what it was going to do to his wallet. He knew taking her to Kuroppoi had been a bad idea. It was never a good thing to spoil a woman with champagne taste, and now he'd be paying for that oversight (literally) for the entire time he was dating her. Well, it was a good thing he was on such excellent terms with his landlady. He was more than likely going to be short on the rent next month.

Sakura laughed as she folded her hands behind her back and assumed the wide-eyed, I'm-so-cute-and-innocent look that meant she was up to absolutely no good. It was the same look she'd tried to pull on him as his student whenever he'd assigned extra push ups or laps to their training. And, just as before, he wasn't going to cave into it… but it was a damned hard thing to do. Short of nailing a guy in the balls, the absolute lowest thing a girl could pull was that look and Haruno Sakura had it perfected to an art form. Unfortunately for her… so did Pakkun. That little pug was the entire reason he'd become immune to the look, but that sadly hadn't happened until after he'd gotten into the habit of sleeping on the sofa.

"You know… if you really, _really_ wanted to make it up to me you could-"she began in an incredibly sweet, playful voice.

"What don't you understand about 'not a chance'?" he asked back, folding his arms unyieldingly across his chest.

Sakura rolled her eyes and settled her hands on her hips stubbornly. "You don't even know what I was going to ask!"

"Oh, so you _weren't_ about to ask me to spill on the date?"

She shook her head, eyes gleaming impishly as she grinned. "I was gonna say, if you _really_ wanna make it up to me, you could just kiss me."

Kakashi blinked slowly at her request. Once again, she was angling for a kiss from him and once again he was thrown back to square one. He'd been fairly certain earlier when she'd placed her arm around his waist she'd been trying to get to the pouch on his belt for _Icha Icha_, but then she'd tried to bribe him with a kiss… Yes, it was definitely time to meet up with Pakkun and the others to get their take on the situation.

"No," he answered, grinning at the shocked look on her face. Without waiting for her to reply, he sprung off the tree branch and to the forest floor. A small spray of dead leaves puffed up around him from the impact, only to be repeated when Sakura landed right beside him. He'd only jumped down so that he could better feel out the dogs' chakra, but if she really wanted to continue on foot…

"Why not?" she persisted as she followed him through the twisting maze of trees. "Didn't you like it the first time?"

"I did, but that has nothing to do with the here and now." Kakashi squatted down and used a variation on the Doton Tsuiga no Jutsu to track down the dogs. This version acted as a sort of reverse summoning only instead of actually taking _him _to the ninken, it traced their chakra signatures with his own. The technique was actually a combination of the Doton Tsuiga and a common tracking jutsu that most ANBU operatives had in their arsenal. The only difference was that the Doton Tsuiga variation actually used part of the ninken's chakra to fuel it, thus keeping his own levels relatively in tact.

As soon as the last seal was used, he worked one hand beneath the decaying leaves until it reached the cool, moist soil beneath. He could feel the energy tingling in his palm, almost like he'd just run his hand over a small electrical current. Some people said the sensation of pulling chakra was an uncomfortable one. Personally, he liked the little rush of adrenaline that always accompanied it. He heard Sakura's quick gasp as he released the small bit of chakra into the ground before he focused solely on where it was actually going.

He frowned when he noticed two of the signatures had gotten twisted up in a series of jutsu traps and false trails. Neither of them were near the location yet and upon further investigating he learned it was Yaku and Jubei who were wandering around. Normally Kakashi would have traced the chakra trail until he came to the actual dog, but it wasn't necessary to follow this time around. Eventually, all of the dogs would be in the same location anyway.

The reason he was even using the jutsu was to test the dogs and see if they'd been successful in masking their own chakra. So far… there was going to be a _lot_ of work when he got back. Only Pakkun had been successful in covering his trail completely, though Bull had done a pretty good job of it about half way through the forest. Sighing, Kakashi released his hold on the jutsu and stood up, wiping the dirt from his hand on his pants.

No sooner had he released the jutsu than Sakura was back to questioning him again, clearly having waited so as not to interrupt his concentration. "Then why not, Kakashi-sensei?" she demanded as she followed after him once again.

Kakashi sighed and glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she trudged along beside him, a pout curving her lips as she pulled out that damned puppy face again. She was a seriously sick girl… "First, I refuse to kiss you if you keep referring to me as your sensei," he began, falling right back into the conversation as if they'd never stopped. "Second, this date isn't over yet."

"What does _that_ have to do with the here and now?" Sakura asked, using his own words to mock him.

"Ever here of saving the best for last?"

She snorted disdainfully and stepped carefully over the twisted root that rose from underneath the leaves. "You certainly have a high opinion of how well you kiss."

Chuckling, Kakashi reached between them for her hand and said, "Apparently you do as well, seeing as you've been angling for a kiss all afternoon."

"I have not!" she spat back.

"Sure, sure. Do you have an oral fetish or something?"

"Eww, don't say things like that! It sounds gross!"

Well, that was definitely a matter of opinion, but he wasn't about to enlighten her on that. "So… Are you mad at me again?" If she was, this would probably make a record for him. And if he weren't such a masochistic bastard, it would have bothered him more.

Sakura's nose wrinkled but she never lifted her gaze from the maze of roots and underbrush in front of her. "No, but I still don't see why you don't wanna kiss me," she muttered.

Kakashi flashed a happy grin over his shoulder. "Then consider this a lesson in the rewards of patience."

Sighing in resignation, Sakura said, "Fine, whatever. Will it be without the mask at least?"

"Probably not."

"When _can_ I have one without the mask?"

"When you admit you have an oral fetish," he answered with a grin at the flush of red that started spreading down her cheeks.

"That's never gonna happen!"

"Then there's your answer."

Growling in frustration, Sakura stomped her way into the lead once more though this time she kept a hold on his hand as she plowed through the forest. "I changed my mind. I don't think you have a nice smile at all."

"Okay." She was going to have to do a lot more than that to ruffle his feathers.

"I bet you've got really nasty teeth."

"You mentioned that rumor was going around."

"And nostril hair long enough to braid!"

"Now that would be rather interesting to see." He grinned at the agitated sound that came from her, all the while more than happy to simply let her drag him along after her.

"Will you at least tell me _why_ you wear the mask?" Sakura begged, pausing as she crossed over yet another fallen tree to look around. "And which way are we going?"

"Start heading east from here, and why do _you_ think I wear a mask?" he replied.

Nodding and turning in the direction he'd indicated, Sakura said thoughtfully, "Well… I don't buy the whole thing about you being so blindingly handsome that people are dazzled by it. What _I _think is that it's so you can do undercover missions, right? You wear a mask all the time so that when it's necessary for you to blend in, all you have to do is take it off and you look like everyone else."

"That's a pretty good theory, Sakura. One small problem though."

"And what's that?"

"How many people do you know with my hair color?"

"Well… there's Jiraiya-sama. Oh, and the Elders. And there's also that little old lady who owns the tea shop on-,"

"Sakura… they're all old."

Feigning shocked innocence, Sakura covered her mouth with her hand and gasped, "Why, so they are! Huh…"

Kakashi flinched and rubbed his free hand across his eyes wearily. Talk about hitting below the belt! "I'm not old," he mumbled.

"Yes, of course you're not." Though the words were reassuring, the way she said them certainly wasn't.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache began to make itself known and silently cursed the inheritance of non-pigmented hair. He'd heard all the old jokes in the book since he was a kid, but that didn't mean he took them very well. It was getting especially hard to take some of the 'old man' jokes now that he was thirty. And, damn her, she knew that very well. "I'd suggest you stop while you're ahead… Cherry-chan."

Sakura's head whipped around at the use of the despised nickname, her green eyes narrowing coolly. After a moment where he simply stared right back at her, the meaning of his response finally sank in and she smiled bashfully and said, "Okay, point taken."

"Good. Start bearing a little more north now."

"Toward those crooked looking trees over there?"

Kakashi nodded as she looked back to confirm that the twisted trees were indeed in the right direction. Neither of them said another word as they pushed up the increasingly sharp slope of the hill. As they approached the group of trees she'd mentioned and finally made it to the top, Kakashi took the lead from her and quickened the pace as they started moving down the other side. Sakura gave him a confused look but didn't question the change. She simply tightened her hand around his and contented herself with following him for the last leg of their hike.

They were almost to the location now and he could just make out the sound of water up ahead. Truthfully, he was a little eager to see what Sakura would make of the date. He normally didn't put forth the kind of effort that went into arranging this sort of thing but if it was a choice between doing the work or opening his wallet… Well, there wasn't really a choice. Besides, this was the exact same thing Asuma had done once for Kurenai and it was all the dark haired woman had talked about for almost a solid month. With that sort of endorsement, how could he _not_ use it for Sakura?


	9. Show Her Lightning Part Two

Now she knew why he'd wanted to sprint through the trees; it was to avoid the uphill climb she'd been dreading from the start of their 'date'. Sakura's legs were throbbing by the time they crested the hill and Kakashi took the lead from her. The trees were thinner on top of the hill, which allowed for the heat of the day to hit her full force. Sweat beaded across her skin as she followed him carefully down the craggy slope once again. Whereas the first side had been covered with thick trees and forest undergrowth, this side looked like an explosion had ripped through nature and left the hill scarred and tricky to navigate.

Thankfully, the forest resumed once again once they reach the bottom and Sakura's spirits lifted when she heard what sounded like… water. It was that sound that renewed her energy somewhat and gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, Kakashi had found a nice little pond for them to picnic at. That actually would be very sweet of him. She could just see a nice blanket laid out with fresh fruits and-

"Here we are!" Kakashi said cheerfully, dropping her hand in order to walk over to where the four dogs were stretched out under a tree. "So… what do you think?"

What she thought was that it didn't look like there was a picnic waiting for her. Sakura scanned the small area critically, sucking on the insides of her cheeks as she settled her hands on her hips. The area was actually a small clearing made from a half circular stand of trees, their overlapping limbs serving to canopy the place and keep the sun from turning it into a miniature sauna. All four dogs were currently sprawled underneath the trees, enjoying a nice nap in the shade. Jubei had picked his head up at the sound of Kakashi's voice and had wagged his tail half-heartedly when he saw her, but now he was back to sleeping like the rest of his comrades. She wasn't too surprised to see he and the others were there before them. They were, after all, _much_ faster.

A pond wasn't too far back from the trees, the grass fading gradually into dusty dirt that became mud where it mixed with the water's edge. The forest continued on the other side of the pond, leaving the water open to the sun's rays and looking invitingly comfortable. It was hard to tell from where she stood just how deep it went but there were flat spaces of rock dotting across the surface that looked like they'd be good for lounging around on. Still, she'd seen places similar to this before. There was nothing special about it, or at least nothing that warranted the trouble she'd had to endure getting there. Yes, she knew she should have been okay with whatever he'd planned because she was _supposed _to be seducing him. But she dared anyone to hike almost three miles with Hatake Kakashi and come out of it feeling peachy keen.

She froze when she noticed two sets of legs sticking out from around the side of a large tree. Wait… there were other people here? He'd said he'd invited others, but she'd thought he'd meant the dogs… Unless this was another couple here for a picnic as well and they'd just happened to choose the same spot?

"Oops, forgot about those two," Kakashi said, walking directly over to the pair and nudging one of the legs with his foot. "Thanks for the help, but do you mind clearing out now?"

"Oh, sorry," a man replied, sounding unusually like Kakashi… Oh, the clones! She'd forgotten all about sending her clone out into the forest!

Sakura hurried over to the tree as well and came to a skidding halt when she saw her clone sitting between the legs of Kakashi's clone and looking entirely too happy to be there. Her clone giggled and waved at her before twisting around enough to kiss the other clone's masked cheek. Sakura's cheeks lit up at that and, if she wasn't mistaken, so did the clone Kakashi's. "Hi! It's about time you got here. We were just about to-,"

She didn't wait to here what exactly their clones were about to do. Sakura released the jutsu and promptly afterward her clone disappeared with a small popping sound. The clone Kakashi sighed wistfully as he looked at the empty space in front of him. "What a shame. We were just making some progress, too."

Kakashi was quick to clamp a hand on Sakura's shoulder as she began to stomp forward. Progress? With _her_ clone? She didn't care if it wasn't really them, she was still gonna punch the guy for even thinking about it! Unfortunately, Kakashi let go of the jutsu before she could even begin to channel chakra into her fists and his clone was spared the ass kicking it so deserved. "Well… _that_ was interesting, don't you think?" he commented cheerfully as he released her shoulder and wandered back into the clearing area.

She was about to tell him off for his perverted clone laying a hand on her when the memories of what exactly had happened came flittering threw her mind. Lots of trees and areas of the forest she hadn't seen. A _really_ amazing view of Kakashi's ass… Argh, stupid clone! She wasn't supposed to notice things like that! And then… the conversation came up.

"_So, when do you think they'll get here?"_ _her clone had asked._

"_Soon, I guess. Want to sleep together?"_

_Her clone spluttered wordlessly for a few seconds before Kakashi's ruffled her hair and said, "I meant take a nap. We've done what we're supposed to do, so why not just relax for a bit?"_

"_Oh. Well, when you say it like that… sure, why not? You better be a good snuggler though."_

"_That happens to be one of my specialties."_

_Laughing, her clone grabbed his hand and tugged him over to the tree. "Okay, Snuggle Expert, show me what you've got!"_

And that was it. Sakura sighed in relief that nothing more had happened. Granted, it was still not good her clone had been sitting in his lap and all but it could have been a _lot_ worse she supposed. A little smile touched her lips as Kakashi came over and held his hand out for her pack. "Does your clone's specialty apply to you as well?" she teased as she handed the pack over.

Kakashi laughed lightly and said, "No, that's strictly Clone Me's area. That Kage Bunshin has provided many an escape route in the past."

She blinked in confusion as he walked away with her pack. Escape route? Just who did he have to escape from where it would require snuggling to do so? Shaking her head, she decided it was probably one of those things she really didn't want to know about and let it drop. "So… what happens now?" she asked, curious as to what the plan was.

"Well, now you should go relax a bit while I finish setting up," he answered, dropping her pack alongside his underneath one of the trees and squatting down to open it. "Then, once everything's done here… you'll see."

Shooting him a wary look, Sakura began wandering around the clearing idly. She tried to pretend disinterest as he started pulling things out from the packs but she couldn't help being incredibly curious as to what he was doing. So far, the only items she recognized were a couple of scrolls, some rolled up wire and what looked almost like a good amount of whitish-silver fabric. There were random packets as well that she assumed contained food and a large container holding some sort of dark red liquid.

"That's not alcohol is it?" she called over to him, frowning as he paused to glance at the drink as if trying to remember what exactly it was. Oh, God… It would be just like him to forget!

"Afraid I'm trying to get you drunk so I can take advantage of you?" he called back.

"Ha, ha. Seriously, what is it?" She really hoped it wasn't alcohol. The one time she'd dared to take a sip from Tsunade's sake had been enough to convince her she didn't like alcohol at all, no matter how many times Ino assured her it wasn't all bad.

Instead of answering her, Kakashi held the bottle out and said, "Knock yourself out."

Sakura walked back over to him and took the bottle cautiously, holding his amused gaze steadily as she examined the contents. It was cool to the touch and was too thin to be wine. Was it some kind of juice concoction? Aware that he was watching her intently, Sakura twisted the lid off the container and sniffed the contents. Blinking in surprise, she drew back and asked, "Raspberry tea?"

"That _is_ what you like, isn't it?"

"No… I mean, yes," she stammered as she screwed the lid in place and handed it back to him. "How… How did you know?" She was pretty certain she'd never mentioned it to him before. It wasn't like her preferred tea came up in idle conversation or anything. And there was only one teashop in all of Konoha that sold raspberry tea; her favorite place, Yasashige Hana.

"I seem to recall seeing you at a teashop quite a bit leading up to the chuunin exams," Kakashi explained as he set the tea aside and continued pulling out more items from the packs. "The woman who runs it is very nice. She knew exactly which pink haired girl with a volatile temper I was talking about and informed me that you always got raspberry tea with two sugars and vanilla mochi. Which, by the way, is in one of these pouches here if you want some."

Stunned to the point of not really caring what he'd just said concerning her temper, Sakura crouched down next to him and began rummaging through the smaller packs. As she searched, it became obvious he _had_ planned a picnic of sorts. There were chopsticks, napkins, disposable plates, what looked like seasoning packets of some sort and food in various stages of preparation. While the fact that he'd planned something like this made her inner self squeal excitedly, all she really wanted was the promised mochi. He'd been right about that pastry being long gone by the time they finished!

Letting out a triumphant cry as she finally spotted the familiar teahouse stamp adorning a plain white box, Sakura all but ripped the packet apart to get to her mochi. She completely ignored the amazed quirk to his brow as she bit one of the little cakes in half and moaned appreciatively. "Sooo good," she spoke around the delicious confection. No one made vanilla mochi like they did at Yasashige Hana!

She was already half way through her second one before she even considered offering any to Kakashi. Smiling guiltily, she finished swallowing and held the small tray out to him. "Sorry, would you like one?"

"Ah, that's okay. I'll pass," he replied good-humoredly.

"Don't you like mochi?"

He shrugged as he stood up and gave their little clearing a close scrutiny. "Yes, but those are for you. Think of it as a substitute for chocolate, if you will."

Laughing, Sakura sat down on the ground and happily dove into the remaining cakes. "If you keep having to apologize to me, I'm gonna be fat before the year is out!"

"You're the one who said sweets were my ticket out of the doghouse."

Still giggling as he moved into the tree line again and began gathering some dry branches, Sakura quickly covered the remaining three mochi with her hand when a wet, black nose began sniffing curiously. Jubei immediately withdrew his nose when she hid her prize but there was a pleading gleam to his black eyes that was really pushing her sympathy button. Even though she knew it probably wasn't a good idea… She really couldn't resist the look on his face.

Checking to make sure none of the other dogs were watching (as well as Kakashi), Sakura broke off a little piece from one of the buns and surreptitiously slipped it to the waiting dog. "That's all you're getting okay?" she whispered, hoping no one else heard her.

Licking his muzzle eagerly, Jubei took the offered bit quickly and swallowed it before anyone else could notice. Once it was done, he nudged her shoulder with his head thankfully, his tail wagging at an incredible speed. "You're th' best, Sakura-chan!" Then, without further ado, he went sprinting for the pond. He took a flying leap into the air and went crashing through the surface with an enormous splash that woke the other three dogs with a start. Pakkun and the floppy eared dog looked at the pond to ascertain the source of the noise before dropping their heads back down without a care. The bulldog, however, went trotting over to the waters edge and began wading out into the lake to meet Jubei.

Sakura laughed as Jubei surfaced from the pond with the black tuft of fur clinging to his head, looking almost like a really bad come-over. As soon as his much larger comrade reached him, he barked and began swimming away quickly. The bulldog went splashing after him, his larger body sending mini tsunamis racing for the shore. They continued to play in the water, wrestling and occasionally playing king-of-the-hill on the flat rocks. It looked like they were having a lot of fun. Sighing as she returned the last remaining mochi to their container for later, Sakura called over to Kakashi, "Do you want some help with anything?"

Kakashi dropped the wood he'd been carrying in a sandy spot a few feet away and began arranging it to start a fire. "Nope, I've got it. You're supposed to be relaxing anyway."

Grinning, Sakura jumped to her feet and bent over to roll her pants up above her knees while kicking off her sandals. "Okay, then I guess I'll just go wading a bit!" She caught the wave Kakashi sent over his shoulder as she jogged down to the edge of the pond. There was no reason why the dogs could have fun in the water and she couldn't.

Tentatively, she dipped toes into the water to test the temperature. It was cool but it wasn't uncomfortable, especially with how warm the day had become. Sakura waded into the water until it just covered the bottoms of her knees and sighed happily. The slightly icy water felt amazing on her aching calves and she leaned forward to place her hands on her knees, stretching the muscles in her back and thighs thoroughly.

Standing upright again, Sakura stretched her arms over her head and murmured happily. She could hear Kakashi moving around behind her, the acrid scent of burning wood letting her know he had the fire going. In front of her, the dogs were splashing around merrily. She was really surprised at how agile the bulldog was, especially considering his size. Jubei still ran circles around him though, using chakra to keep above the surface of the water as he sprinted from one side of the pond to the other. Sprays of water kicked up behind him as he went, hitting the bulldog across the face in the process.

Finally, as if deciding he'd had enough of Jubei's games, the bulldog swam over to one of the flat rocks and flopped down, his dripping fur quickly soaking the stone underneath him to a darker shade of grey. Heaving out a heavy breath, the bulldog promptly closed his eyes and went back to sleep, ignoring the disgruntled barking from his energetic counterpart. Sakura couldn't help smiling as Jubei continued barking for a few minutes, as if by making enough noise he could convince the bulldog to get up and play again.

Finally, when it became obvious the larger dog wasn't moving, Jubei trotted across the water and flopped onto the stone next to him. "Sakura-chan, come out an' enjoy the sun," the white dog called.

At first, she was about to decline due to the fact that both dogs were wet and there were very few smells as bad as a wet dog. But then the sun came out from behind a cloud and hit her full on, still nice and warm even though it was edging back a bit into early evening. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the delicious warmth on her skin. It was perfect weather for taking a nap in and it wasn't like she saw much of the sun these days, not unless Tsunade felt like taking the lessons outside. Which, considering that six out of seven days in the week her mentor was hung over, was a very rare thing indeed.

Sparing a look back to make sure Kakashi still didn't need any help, Sakura lifted one bare foot out of the water and channeled enough chakra into it so that when she touched it to the pond's surface it didn't sink in. She repeated the same thing with her other foot until she was able to walk across the water as easily as if it were solid ground. She walked over to the rock that the two dogs were sprawled on and smiled. "You both don't mind?"

"We don't mind at all," Jubei replied enthusiastically.

"Plenty a' room for you," the bulldog added as he settled his head back down with a heavy puff of breath.

Sakura stepped up onto the rock and took a spot that wouldn't crowd either of the dogs, though there really wasn't any need to worry about that. The rock was plenty big enough. She sat down and peeled off her shirt to use as a pillow before stretching out and closing her eyes. The heat from the sun took immediate affect, making her feel languid and almost as relaxed as a really good massage would. _This_ was nice. Kakashi still had some making up to do for dragging her along on a training session, but the sun was definitely giving him a hand with that. Sighing, she settled herself comfortably and allowed the sun to lull her into a nice, tranquil state.

She didn't really know how long she'd been stretched out on that rock or that the sun had done its job and put her to sleep, but she woke with a start later when she heard Kakashi's amused voice say from somewhere above her, "Comfortable, are we?"

Cracking one eye open and giving him a disappointed pout, Sakura mumbled, "Yes, very." Her frown deepened when she realized her stomach was entirely too warm to be natural and lifted her head enough to check for sunburn. Thankfully, there wasn't. All she saw was a white head with an unruly thatch of black on top. Smiling sleepily, Sakura ran her hand down the side of Jubei's neck gently, giggling when the dog twitched in his sleep. "Jubei really likes me, doesn't he?"

Kakashi crouched down where he was standing on the water and patted the white dog's hip affectionately. "Apparently. Then again, he's a pretty good judge of character."

Sakura beamed at the hidden compliment and sat up completely, disturbing Jubei into opening his eyes and rolling them up toward her sleepily before resettling his head on her lap. "Do the other dogs have names?"

Nodding, he pointed to the bulldog and said, "That's Bull and the other guy on shore is Yaku. The other four were apparently too busy doing God knows what to come out today, so you'll have to meet them at a later time."

"And they all have names, too?" She didn't know why the idea that any of the dogs besides Pakkun had names surprised her. Maybe it was because she'd just assumed Kakashi was too lazy to go and name eight dogs.

"Of course. It'd hurt their feelings if just these four had names."

Sakura nodded and shrugged. He had a point, she supposed. If she were a dog and all her friends had names except for her, she'd be a little upset. Unless the name was something stupid or unoriginal. Speaking of which… "Isn't Bull a little uncreative for a bulldog?" The dog in question lifted his heavy head and snorted in exasperation as he shoved to his feet. Without a word (but with a lot of grumbling), Bull walked back across the water to join the other two dogs on the bank.

Kakashi watched the dog saunter off before pinning her with a doleful look. "You try naming eight dogs and see how creative you get."

Laughing at his sour tone, Sakura nudged Jubei with her thigh and said, "Wanna go see what Kakashi-sensei's been working on this whole time?"

Jubei lifted his head and opened his mouth in a wide yawn before carefully pushing to his feet and shaking out his fur. "If you wanna. I don't mind just stayin' here with ya though."

"Too bad, dog. Sakura-chan's with me tonight, not you," Kakashi remarked as he stood to his full height again. Jubei let out a raspy sort of sound that Sakura assumed was laughter before taking a running leap into the pond. A large splash accompanied his belly flop into the water, the result of which was a small geyser that erupted all over Kakashi's legs.

She barely managed to stifle a giggle as her former teacher looked down at his wet pants and commented with false humor, "Thanks, Jubei. _Very_ nice." The white dog was already on the other side though and shaking the moisture from his fur. Sighing as he tucked his hands into damp pants pockets, Kakashi said to her, "If you're hungry, food's ready."

Sakura rose and twisted her neck about to ease the small cramp that had begun to form between her shoulder blades from sleeping on a rock. She inhaled deeply and all but moaned as the smell of cooking food hit her nose, prompting her stomach to growl eagerly. "Oooh… That smells so good! I didn't know you could cook, Kakashi."

He shrugged and his eyes crinkled cheerfully. "Only for my favorite ex-student."

"Yeah, right." She bent to scoop up her shirt and throw it back on before walking out onto the water eagerly, her steps quickening when she caught sight of… A small fold out table? Where had _that_ come from? And was that a hammock as well? Just what in the hell had he been up to while she was asleep? She glanced at him when he fell into step beside her and even though he wasn't looking at her she had the feeling he was waiting for reaction.

Sakura gasped and came to an abrupt halt when she finally got a good look at the set up and realized exactly what was going on. The table was smaller than a Go board and was set with standard issue camping utensils. Food was already served onto the plates and was steaming in the glow of the setting sun. A humming sound drew Sakura's attention to the area behind the hammock (which was thankfully made of cloth and _not _netting) where a portable generator was set up and attached to what looked suspiciously like the old movie projector from the Academy. In fact, upon closer inspection, she noticed it _was_ the very same projector. She could still see the angry Iruka-sensei stick figure Naruto had drawn on it during their first year there.

Looking directly across from the projector, she saw the length of whitish-silver material from earlier was now stretched out between two trees, making an impromptu movie screen. Laughing in disbelief and covering her mouth with both hands, Sakura breathed, "We're having a dinner and movie date."

"Or a variation on it," Kakashi replied, coming up slightly behind her and rubbing his hand along the middle of her back. "Disappointed?"

She shook her head quickly and murmured, "Not at all. You've done this before, haven't you?" Not since Rock Lee had stayed up all night to make her favorite cake from scratch for her birthday had a guy done anything this sweet and thoughtful and… Sakura shook her head and sighed dismally. It was a shame this wasn't for real. She could really get used to this sort of thing.

"Actually, no. This is a first for me, but I know someone who did try it and it got rave reviews."

Sakura sat on the hammock like it was a couch, giggling as it swayed awkwardly under her weight. He'd taken her shorter legs into consideration and fixed it low enough so that her feet could easily touch the ground and she could reach the table! "You even live up to your name when it comes to dates, huh?"

Chuckling, Kakashi sat next to her and immediately the hammock tried to pitch her toward him. She shifted back as best she could, but there was only so much a girl could do when sitting in a hammock. "Any good move is worth copying, and this seemed like a pretty good move."

"It's better than good. It's amazing. I've never heard of _anyone_ doing this before. How did you get the projector here?"

"Ah, that. That was also part of the reason why I was late. I had to swing by the Academy and… borrow it."

She arched a brow at the noticeable pause during the last part. "Borrow it as in you asked Iruka-sensei if it was okay, or borrow it as in you stole it?"

"Borrow as in they don't know it's missing yet, and hopefully never will," he elaborated as he leaned forward and poured some raspberry tea into two of the disposable cups. "Here, you're probably thirsty after being out in the sun all afternoon."

Sakura knew he was only changing the subject yet again, but she wasn't going to call him on it. The date had definitely earned him quite a bit of leniency for some of his quirks, even though she could probably guarantee the hammock was going to make things awkward at some point in the evening. She took the cup from him and sipped her tea with a happy moan, her eyes closing as the fruity flavor filled her mouth. He'd even gone and put sugar in it for her. Raspberry tea was actually pretty sour without a little sugar to it, but she liked the contrast between the two different flavors. She was glad now that she hadn't given in to the desire to tell him off and go back home after that trick he'd pulled about the dogs getting her date. The only reason she hadn't at the time was because she had a mission to see through and storming off again would definitely hurt any chances of succeeding.

She opened her eyes in time to catch him drinking his own tea through his mask. "Are you serious? You even _drink_ with that thing on?" she demanded incredulously, twisting around on the hammock to face him.

Kakashi shrugged indifferently and relaxed back further. "Added filtration never hurt anyone."

"Don't you get lint bits in your mouth?"

"Extra fiber. How's the tea for you?"

Sakura took another sip and licked her lips while humming appreciatively for the taste. "It's perfect. So, what did you make us?" She leaned forward and stretched her arm out to pick up the plate closest to her, all while precariously holding her tea between her thighs to keep it from spilling. She grinned when Kakashi used his much longer legs to level out the hammock and allow her to get her food. Sakura quickly sat back with a sigh and looked curiously at the warm plate on her lap. She couldn't _wait_ to tell Ino about this date. Pig was going to be so sick with envy!

"Nothing fancy. I cook so I don't starve to death, not because I have a real talent for it. It's just your average rice, vegetables and dried fish product," Kakashi replied casually as he leaned forward to snatch the remaining plate.

The mention of dried fish made her pause with her first bite midway to her mouth. That sounded a little foreboding… But he was watching her expectantly so she really had no choice but to go through with it. He'd gone through a lot of trouble preparing this for her and it would be rude to refuse just because 'dried fish product' made her stomach whimper in fear. Taking a deep breath and preparing herself for possible gagging, Sakura popped the bit into her mouth and chewed. And swallowed. And had to admit it wasn't as bad as she had been expecting. Like he'd said, it wasn't anything super amazing but it was definitely eatable.

"Not bad?" he asked as he stirred his food around idly.

Sakura shook her head and took another bite. "Nope, not bad. Definitely better than my cooking," she said, swinging around again so that she was facing front. "I make really good desserts though."

"Really? Like what?"

She shrugged and moved her food around her plate a little to break up a chunk of what she suspected was the dried fish product. "Mostly cookies, but Ino says my K.O. Brownies are awesome."

"Your K.O. Brownies." She could hear the amusement in his voice, which prompted her to smile down at her plate.

"Knock Out Brownies. Ino calls them that because they're so good. They're chocolate brownies with walnuts and cherries and have a really yummy chocolate frosting. Ino likes to warm them up and dump ice cream on top, but I think they're sweet enough on their own. But they're not nearly as good as my hot chocolate cookies."

"Is that so?"

Sakura nodded excitedly, her smile widening when Pakkun came up on her other side and jumped into the small space between her hip and the corner, which gave a little to conform to his small body. Balancing her plate carefully on her lap, she used her newly freed hand to scratch the little pug's ears. Pakkun grunted and shifted until he was on his back with his stomach exposed and waiting for the scratching to continue. Laughing and obliging the silent command, Sakura continued saying, "Hinata says they're like a cup of really good hot chocolate but in cookie form. It's your basic double chocolate cookie recipe except with marshmallows and a bit of cinnamon for that winter taste. If you'd like, I'll make them for you some time."

"Considering I'm damned near drooling just listening to you talk about them, yes I'd like it very much." Kakashi leaned forward once more and deposited his plate back on the table with a contented sigh.

Sakura's laughter died almost as soon as it came when she realized that the plate, _his_ plate, was completely empty. Which meant… "Hey, you had your mask down!" she accused, brandishing her chopsticks at him like a kunai.

Kakashi's eyes creased happily as he slouched back into the fabric sling and rubbed a hand over his stomach in a display of satisfaction. "That really hit the spot, didn't it? Of course, those hot chocolate cookies you mentioned probably taste better than that… still, it wasn't bad for camp food."

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't… How in the _hell_ did she miss him taking his mask off? He was sitting right next to her, there was just enough light in the sky to see clearly by and she'd _still missed it! _After all this time of trying to catch a peek of his face, of having to deal with Ino laughing at her because her first kiss had been with a piece of freakin' cotton, and she'd gotten so damned wrapped up in those stupid cookies that she'd missed it completely! Covering her eyes with one hand and groaning at her own idiocy, Sakura flopped back into the hammock and shook her head.

Unbeknownst to her, Pakkun, who had rolled back over as soon as the belly scratching had ended, glanced and Kakashi. Kakashi winked at the dog, who in turn gave the equivalent of a smirk before jumping down from the hammock and sauntering off to see what exactly Yaku had found to sniff at. He'd done his part in providing a distraction while Kakashi ate and he'd gotten a decent scratching out of the deal, too. So far, he was having a fantastic night.

As soon as the pug was gone, Kakashi asked, "Something wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura peeked a glare at him through her fingers. He sound way too amiably for her tastes, the bastard. He knew _exactly_ what was wrong! Damn it, knowing him he'd probably planned this from the very start. Get her talking about something he couldn't have cared less about, quickly scarf down his dinner and then make fun of her because she'd been soooo wrapped up in her dumb hobby to notice _he'd had his freakin' mask down!_ She was so pathetic at times.

"No, nothing," she groaned heavily. "Just a headache."

"Ah. Well, that's relieving. For a moment I thought the dried fish wasn't sitting well with you."

Something wasn't sitting well with her, and it wasn't some dried fish product. Taking in a slow, deep breath and releasing it slowly to regain some measure of calm, Sakura opened her eyes to stare down at her plate miserably and finished eating without another word. This _sucked!_ How was she supposed to get those stupid books when she couldn't even get a look at his face while he was sitting next to her with his mask down? She didn't care if Tsunade said she had faith in her, at that moment _she_ didn't have faith in herself.

The hammock lurched under her as Kakashi stood up, prompting her to glance over at him curiously. "Kakashi?" Sakura deposited the empty plate on the table and twisted around in her seat as he went over to the projector.

"I think it's dark enough for the movie now, don't you?" Sakura bit her lower lip to keep from giggling as he began poking about at the projector, clearly trying to figure out how exactly it worked. It took him a second and a couple muttered 'damns' but in relatively short time a bright beam of light shot out from it and onto the makeshift screen.

All of Sakura's ill feelings fell away as she prepared herself for whatever movie he'd chosen. The numbers began ticking off on the screen as Kakashi reclaimed his spot next to her, shooting Jubei a mild glare when the dog ventured forward for that very same reason. Ducking his head sheepishly, the white dog slinked off to the other side of Sakura and lay down at her feet.

Sakura rubbed her bare foot along Jubei's side lightly and when the dog looked up at her she smiled back, prompting him to place a wet lick up her bare calf. She giggled, which in turn made Kakashi glance at her curiously then down at the dog with a questioning lift to one brow. As if not to be out done by his own dog, Kakashi dropped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her up against his side.

She grinned at the mini 'competition' for her attention and snuggled herself in against Kakashi's warm shoulder. Maybe she wasn't doing so badly with this whole seduction thing after all if he was getting possessive of her with his dog. Sighing contentedly, Sakura smiled and turned her attention back to the screen just as the opening credits began to start.

The movie was an old black and white one, the picture quality fuzzy and very grainy due to the fact that it wasn't a real projector screen they were watching it on, but Sakura couldn't have cared less about that. The only thing wrong was… "Hey, what happened to the sound?"

"Oh."

Sakura turned so that she was facing him, propping her elbow on his shoulder to give him a wry look. "Lemme guess. While you were stealing the projector-,"

"-It's hardly stealing if it's a teacher using Academy property," he protested mildly.

"-You forgot to steal the speakers to go along with it," she concluded as if he hadn't interrupted her.

Kakashi had the good grace to look sheepish about the oversight. "That's one way of looking at it."

"That's the _only_ way of looking at it!"

She froze when he pressed a finger to her lips to silence her, his eye gleaming mischievously in the grey and white glow of the screen. "You're not thinking beyond the obvious, Sakura. The _other_ option is… We make it up."

Sakura grabbed his hand roughly and pulled his finger away from her lips, a slight flush warming her cheeks from the contact. "Make what up?"

Kakashi nodded toward the movie that was now playing as if it should have been perfectly obvious. "The dialogue, of course."

"You mean, invent the story as it goes along?"

"Why not? At least we can guarantee the ending will be good."

Her gaze slid to the screen thoughtfully while she ran his suggestion over in her head. So far, the two she was assuming were the main characters were having what appeared to be a very dramatic conversation. The woman kept touching her collarbone and looking tragic while the man lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall with a cocky smirk to his face. A silly grin crossed her cheeks as she glanced once more at Kakashi. Actually… this could be pretty entertaining.

Gasping dramatically, she said in a theatrically breathy voice, "I can't believe you would ever suggest such a thing! The nerve of you to think someone of _my_ delicacy would actually wander the wilderness with someone like you!"

Kakashi's eyebrows rose incredulously as he turned slowly toward her when she started giggling. "So, that's how it's going to be, huh?" he murmured, his eye narrowing at the challenge. Turning back to the screen, Kakashi waited until the woman finished saying her lines before adlibbing his part in. "Sorry to tell you this, darling, but there's nothing delicate about you at all."

"Excuse me, are you blind? Look at my perfectly manicured nails that I keep fluttering about! And my expertly styled hair."

"The hours it takes you to get ready in the morning has nothing to do with your lack of delicacy. And why are you choosing now of all times to argue about this? I thought you were a bit more… _agreeable._"

Sakura's jaw dropped in silent indignation at the sort of 'agreeable' he was referring to. While blown dramatically out of proportion (she hoped), the referencing to their sort-of-relationship wasn't at all subtle. Was that really why he'd agreed to a date with her, because he thought she'd sleep with him? If so… she was gonna punch his perverted ass all the way to Wave Country! "So, that's all this is then?" she questioned, staying in character while probing the issue a little deeper. "Another conquest for you?"

"Conquest? You? Not a chance of that. You're far too mulish to- ouch! Was that a kunai or your elbow?" Kakashi rubbed his side where she'd elbowed him and even though she couldn't see it she knew he was frowning. She wasn't the least bit sympathetic though. Hinting a girl was easy was one thing, but flat out calling her a mule was just plain insulting! Strong-willed, confident… hell, even stubborn was a better phrase that 'mulish'!

"Don't be such a baby, it wasn't that hard!" Sakura admonished, even as she rubbed her hand soothingly across the area as well. When their hands accidentally brushed, she realized what she was doing and promptly felt the heat burning her cheeks. She was practically rubbing her hand across Kakashi's chest. Oh… _crap! _She quickly stopped what she was doing and returned her hand to her lap, sparing a glance at him out of the corner of her eye to see if he noticed. He was watching the movie again, his open eye drooped as usual and giving away nothing as far as whether or not he'd even noticed her misstep.

"You missed your part," he commented after a long and awkward (at least to her) silence. He shifted lower in the sling, stretching his legs out over the top of Yaku and under the table. Apparently, it wasn't as comfortable as he'd thought because he changed positions again shortly after, causing her to frown and lift her head off his shoulder to allow for the movement. Was he sitting on a nest of ants or something? Never in the two and a half years that she'd known him had she ever seen him fidget this much, not even that one time where Tsunade had literally sent an ANBU squad to march him in for his physical.

"Huh?" she asked as his arm pulled her back in place once he was settled again.

"Your part. She's been talking for a full- Nn… damn it!"

Sakura nearly fell face first into his lap when he suddenly released her, forcing her to catch herself quickly on the less than supportive edges of their seating to keep from doing just that. A wince flinched at the corners of Kakashi's eyes as he lifted his hips up and undid his belt. For a panicked second, she thought he was about to take his pants down but when all he did was drop the belt and pouch on the table, she let out a sigh of relief. It was just the belt. Thank _God!_

"Sorry, but _Icha Icha Paradise_ was digging a hole in my back," Kakashi explained with a relieved sigh as he resumed his slouched back position next to her.

It was now Sakura's turn to squirm a little as she tried to find a comfortable spot that fit with his new position. Damn it and she'd been so cozy before, too! Stupid belt. Stupid _Icha Icha _for… Wait. _Icha Icha Paradise_ was sitting on the table. It wasn't on him any longer. _Icha Icha _was… Holy, CRAP! She might have a chance to get it! All she had to do was wait until he wasn't looking, work a quick Henge no jutsu on some random object to make it look like the book, replace it before he noticed and she'd have half her work done in only three dates! It was perfectly doable…

_If_ she could distract him from noticing, that is. As it stood, there was only one thing she could think of that would work for the situation; she'd have to try and get him to kiss her and she'd have to follow through with that promise of 'one helluva kiss' to make it distracting enough for him to miss her swiping his book. Oh, and she'd have to somehow keep from getting distracted herself long enough to form the seals for the Henge without him noticing. Sakura's mouth went dry and her stomach churned nervously. Yeah… No pressure at all. Sure.

The problem now was how to go about it? Should she gradually move in for it? Should she go for his cheek just to get his attention? Or would it be better to just grab him by his shirt front and do it, like she'd done the other night? No… None of those sounded good. Maybe a combination of ideas would work though. Like, if she were to kiss his cheek while using his shirt to turn him toward her. Actually, that sound really good; forward but not aggressively so. She could do that. Or, rather, she would keep telling herself that until it became true. Sakura took a few even breaths to calm herself before she began to move in for the kill.

"Okay, where did we leave off?" Kakashi drawled just as she was getting ready to push herself up and kiss his cheek. And, just like that, her resolve crumpled and the mood was lost. Sakura's shoulder slumped and she just barely suppressed a frustrated groan from leaking out. He had to have the absolute _worst_ timing out of anyone she knew! "Oh, right. You said something about him being crazy and I said-,"

"-Something that's being stricken from the record," she replied quickly as she hugged her arms around herself defensively. She'd rather not relive the 'agreeable' comment again, even if it wasn't being explicitly directed at her.

Kakashi let it slide, mercifully enough, and instead nodded and said, "It looks like they've moved on from the conversation. Let's see… Oh, look! Apparently she's threatening to jump off the bridge now and he's trying to talk her out of it.

Frowning, Sakura lifted her head from his shoulder and demanded, "Just what the hell kind of movie did you get anyway?" People threatening to jump off of bridges wasn't exactly a good date topic!

"The only movie I could find at the rental shop that worked with a projector."

Oh. Fair enough, she supposed. Projector films _were_ in rather limited supply. Sakura sniffed haughtily and tilted her chin upward with an air of superiority. "Well, for your information she's not about to jump off the bridge."

"Oh?"

"Nope. She's gonna sprout magical wings and fly off into the black and white sunset in a trail of glitter and flower petals, spreading love and happiness in her wake." She broke out into a grin when his hand paused in its light caress on her shoulder.

"… That sounds a bit sadistic."

She couldn't keep her laughter back any longer at the dry comment, though it was anyone's guess whether he was joking or not. She pointed at the actor on the screen who was now on his knees and crying as the woman disappeared over the side of the bridge. "He thinks so too, from the looks of it."

Kakashi nodded sagely and feigned a sympathetic sigh. "I think he's crying because all the glitter and flower petals have robbed him of his masculinity."

"Providing he had any to begin with. Personally, I think he looks a bit too femmy."

Flinching, he purposely pressed himself as far as he could into the pliable side of the sling to put some distance between them, as if expecting another elbow jab at any second. "I remember when you were a nice, sweet little girl who would _never_ grin while suggesting a guy was a bit effeminate."

Her grin widened even further at the comment as she purposely reclaimed the inch or so he'd moved away. "Tsunade-shishou says that men have only two faults; everything they say and everything they do."

"You do know that Tsunade's probably basing this theory off of her dealings with Jiraiya, right?"

Shrugging, Sakura smiled sweetly at him and said lightly, "Oh, I don't know… I think she might be onto something there."

"It's a biased opinion using information that falls so far outside of the norm that to call it 'abnormal' would be downplaying it horribly. Remember that when listening to Tsunade's rants concerning men." With that, he pushed up from the couch, being mindful of where he was stepping to avoid crushing a tail or foot in the process.

Sakura laughed and sat up as well when he began to head for the trees. "Where are you going?" she asked.

He motioned vaguely toward the forest and said, "The tea went right through me. Be right back." He disappeared into the lengthening shadows of the trees, leaving her blushing over his response. This was one of the things she hadn't liked about being the only girl on an all guy team; bathroom breaks in the wilderness. It was just so embarrassing to think that any of them were out there with their…

Sakura's eyes widened as she realized one very important thing she was missing; Kakashi wasn't there… but _Icha Icha Paradise_ was! He'd left his book right there on the table! She glanced around nervously, half expecting to see a familiar silhouette in the shadows or one of the dogs watching her intently. Nothing. No Kakashi shaped shadow and no canine eyes peering at her under the pretense of sleep. Moving as quickly as she dared, Sakura reached across the table for the pouch. This was it, the moment she'd been waiting for. All she had to do was…

She stopped herself just short of touching it, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. The conversation she'd had with her friends at the start of this came flooding back, most especially one very good point that Tenten had made; Kakashi wouldn't put his most valued possession in an easy to steal spot unless he was certain it wouldn't be stolen. Taking that into consideration, as well as all of her experience in dealing with Kakashi in the past, it made sense that the pouch would have some sort of trap placed on it. Like something to turn her blue or sleeping gas or maybe an exploding tag. That meant if she tried to take the book now and ended up triggering some sort of trap then he'd be onto her and Tsunade would be scheduling her for midnights. Sakura began pulling her hand away quickly.

"It's okay. You can take it, Sakura-chan."

Sakura's eyes widened as she whipped around to look at Jubei's happy face. The white dog had his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth and his tail was wagging just the slightest bit. "What?" she asked.

Jubei stretched his front legs out and crawled a few inches closer to her on his belly. "You wanna read Kakashi's book, right?" he replied, keeping his voice down. "So, I was just tellin' ya that I don't smell any traps or anything so it's okay for ya to read it."

Shaking her head quickly while folding her hands in her lap, Sakura said, "I-I wasn't trying to-,"

"Yeah, you were," Pakkun interrupted, cracking one eye open to peer at her lazily. Sakura gasped and nearly fell off the hammock in shock. "I kinda thought something was weird when he first said you two were dating. You're trying to swipe Kakashi's books."

"No! I'm not doing anything like that!"

The pug pinned her with a how-stupid-do-I-look expression before picking his head up to give a wide yawn. Meanwhile the other two dogs, Yaku and Bull, had also opened their eyes and were watching her intently. She didn't think they would do anything to hurt her… but she could tell they weren't going to let her just take the book either.

"He's not gonna like this at all," Yaku drawled lazily. Bull grumbled an agreement behind him.

"Nope," Pakkun added almost mournfully. "Remember what happened the last time?"

Jubei whimpered and swiped a paw across his nose as if to cover his eyes. "But Sakura-chan's really nice! Kakashi wouldn't do that ta her… would he?" The silence that met his question made the white dog whine again and caused Sakura to gulp.

"W-What happened the last time?" she choked out as her heart began to pound.

The four dogs exchanged looks before Bull rumbled, "That's what happened. Nobody heard a thing."

Oh, dear _God!_ Horror flooded over Sakura as all sorts of truly terrible images flashed through her head, all of them involving the many ways Kakashi probably knew of to make someone disappear. She didn't think he'd kill a person over _Icha Icha Paradise_, but he was good enough at what he did that it wouldn't be necessary to kill them to make them vanish. She'd heard rumors about a new technique he'd accomplished, one that could suck a person into empty space… No, Kakashi wouldn't do that to her. More than likely, he'd just find new and creative ways to make her life a living hell. That didn't make it any less terrifying though.

Swallowing hard, Sakura leaned down toward the dogs and whispered, "Please don't say anything." It wasn't until after the words had left her mouth that she realized how stupid it was. These were Kakashi's dogs. Of course they weren't going to-

"Okay," Pakkun agreed, causing her jaw to drop in shock. "But you've gotta give the four of us some quality rub downs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night. And if we happen to bring the others along… them, too."

This was not happening. This was _sooo _not happening! She was _not_ being blackmailed by a freakin' dog! Sakura huffed out an irritated breath as she scowled at the small dog sitting next to her. The look in Pakkun's round eyes said it all; she either agreed to the terms or Kakashi was going to make tormenting her his new favorite hobby. Rolling her eyes and flopping back against the couch, she muttered, "Fine, it's a deal. Come over around seven and I'll do it."

A smirk curved through the wrinkles on Pakkun's face as he settled back down and closed his eyes. "We didn't see a thing, did we?" Yaku and Bull shook their heads before promptly laying back down as if nothing had happened.

Jubei snickered and dropped his head to the ground as well. "Nope, nothin'. Hey, Sakura-chan?"

"What?" she grumbled.

"Kakashi's comin' back now so don't steal the book, okay?"

Normally, she would have thanked the dog for the heads up… But she wasn't feeling very thankful at the moment. At least this confirmed one thing though; she was _definitely_ a cat person. This portion of the evening was also getting edited out when she gave Ino the recap. She'd never hear the end of it if Pig found out she'd been blackmailed into belly rubs by Kakashi's dogs!

* * *

So far everything was going mostly according to plan, excluding the whole speakers thing of course. Everything was set in place to determine once and for all whether she was after his books or not. If she tried anything, Pakkun and the others would stop that from happening. In the off chance that she _did_ manage to get one over on the dogs, she wouldn't have the real thing. The book inside that pouch was actually Ino's book with a Henge no Jutsu slapped on it to make it look like _Icha Icha Paradise_. There was more than one reason why he'd wanted to borrow the book, though the incredibly smutty summary on the cover had been intriguing enough. How the publishers had allowed for something _that_ graphic in a summary on an unrestricted book was mind boggling.

Normally, Kakashi would have stuck around to watch the show himself… but he hadn't been kidding about needing to take a piss. That raspberry stuff, though admittedly not so bad, definitely didn't stick around long in the system. So, trusting that the dogs had his back and that _Icha Icha Paradise_ was safe, Kakashi found a nice, heavily shaded area of the forest and took care of things.

He really hoped everything would get sorted out tonight. It wasn't that he minded going out with Sakura. On the contrary, she was a fairly pleasant girl to be around when she wasn't storming off into the wilderness. But this whole unknown factor as to her motives was beginning to wear very thin on his patience. He was fairly certain Sakura wasn't a good enough actress to be purposely giving him the run-around. Then again… maybe she was. He found it equally hard to believe she was causing all this uncertainty just by dumb luck.

Had Tsunade really changed her so much that he couldn't read her inside and out? A bothering thought, for sure. There had been a time where he could have told her every thought that was going through her head and it would have been correct. Of course, back then she'd also been a kid with only three things on her mind; Uchiha Sasuke, the latest diet and beauty products. It was amazing what over two years of intensive training with one of the greatest ninja in the world could do to a girl. Perhaps part of that training included trying to seduce former teachers.

Kakashi let out a scoffing sound under his breath as he retied the drawstring to his pants once again. Tsunade wouldn't do something like that. He would in a heartbeat if he thought it'd do a student of his any good, but Tsunade… There were some lines even she wouldn't cross, and sending her prized apprentice out to seduce him was one of them. Not without a good reason at least and he didn't see any reason why Tsunade could possible want either of the things Sakura was after. Besides that, Tsunade would have sent someone with more experience after him, like Anko. God… terrifying thought, that.

Carefully picking his way through the darkened trees, Kakashi walked back to the gentle glow of the movie projector. He'd have a talk with Pakkun later to see what the general consensus was. Ideally, he would have preferred _all_ of the ninken to be present, especially since Jubei's opinion was now biased, but he'd just have to make do with what he had. As soon as he came close enough to get Sakura's attention, he shoved all of the more serious thoughts aside and smiled as she moved over to let him have room on the hammock. It could have been a trick of the poor light, but he could have sworn a flash of guilt had moved across her face. But she was smiling at him now and it really had been too quick to notice.

"Geeze, Kakashi-sensei, you were gone for almost ten minutes! I was about to ask one of the dogs to go find you," she complained as he lifted his arm so that she could curl up against his side. The way she tucked her knees in against his hip and snuggled into his shoulder was actually rather charming. Almost kittenish, really, and not terribly uncomfortable for him either. Typically, it was awkward striking just the right angle for him to enjoy having his arm around a date, but Sakura was petite enough that this wasn't an issue.

"Sorry. Had I known you'd miss me so much I would have sped things up a bit," he replied, grinning when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, I missed you like I'd miss a rash," she retorted. "_You_ missed a lot of the movie, though."

"Then fill me in quickly." Not that he particularly cared. It was far too melodramatic for his tastes. Their made up version was _loads_ more entertaining.

Her smile widened as she said with all the authority of someone who knows it all, "Well, apparently his girlfriend came back from the dead to haunt him. And it was a _very _convincing apparition as well."

"Really?"

She nodded quickly, her eyes sparking with mischief. "I just barely saw the wires holding her up as she floated in front of him."

Considering the screen quality was fuzzy at best, those had to be incredibly thick wires. Kakashi tapped his lips and pretended to ponder her response earnestly. "I thought you said she had magical wings," he remarked.

Sakura snorted disdainfully and said, "It would have been soooo much better with magical wings instead of super thick wire. Anyway, so from what I gathered her ghost came back because he found love again and now she's feeling jealous."

"Does she know she's dead?" Now he was sort of glad he'd forgotten to borrow the speakers as well. "And if she loved him so much, why did she jump to begin with?"

He felt her shrug against his side as she muttered, "Beats me. But she's just started messing with his current girlfriend's head by moving stuff and slamming doors and basically stalking her. You know, typical ghost-type stuff. You're not allowed to pick the movie again, by the way. This one _sucked._"

Kakashi pinched her arm just enough to make her jump and repeated slowly, "It was the only movie they had that would work with the projector." He'd have to ask Asuma what film it was he and Kurenai had seen and where they'd found it. Of course, they were probably too busy doing _other_ things to really pay attention to the movie but it was still good to know for possible future use.

Sakura surprised him no end when she suddenly turned and, placing one hand on his chest for balance, pressed a kiss to his cheek. When she drew back, her cheeks were a new shade of red he hadn't seen before, bringing the grand total up to eleven so far. "It's okay. The date was still fun regardless. You're right, you know."

"About…?"

"That I'd like it in the end. Although… if you _ever_ trick me into thinking I've gotta race your dogs for a date again-,"

Kakashi grinned and hugged her to him briefly. "You'll reach down my throat and turn me inside out, right?" He wasn't going to correct her on the fact that it had technically been a misunderstanding and _not_ deliberate deceit.

"Something like that, yeah," she laughed. They both fell silent as they watched the 'tragic' conclusion to the movie start to unfold. The ghost, after having apparently driven the new woman to suicide, was now trying to get her lover to do the same thing by holding a knife in front of him. Actually, it was a wire (and was it ever thick) that was dangling the knife in order for it to look like the ghost was. The man's eyes were wide in what was supposed to be sheer panic as the knife kept swaying closer and closer.

He glanced at Sakura as she stiffened next to him, her knuckles pressed to her mouth and her eyes rounded. After all the mockery and comments made about the movie and now she was actually concerned for one of the characters? Kakashi couldn't help smiling at that. Sakura really was a hopeless romantic at heart. He truly hoped what he was doing wouldn't change that for her. Even though he was teaching her a valuable lesson, he didn't want her to become jaded by love. She was far too young for that.

When the screen suddenly went dark and 'the end' flashed across it in wispy letters, Sakura yelped, "What the… That's _it?_ That's the end? But we don't even know if he killed himself or not!"

"I think that was the point, Sakura. The writers wanted _you_ to decide whether he lived or died," Kakashi said, leaning backward in the hammock in order to turn the projector off. Instantly darkness flooded over them, one that the thin light from the waning moon did little to help break up. He could just barely make out her profile next to him, the dogs and the table becoming slightly darker shades against the shadows of the forest. Hiking back was going to be an interesting affair, that was for sure. Still any ninja worth their mettle should be able to handle it.

"I still think the writers were just too lazy to make an ending," she continued to rant.

"Maybe you should write them an angry letter then," he suggested blandly as he stood up and made his way over to the dull glow of embers that had once been a fire and began poking them to life again.

He heard Sakura shift around on the hammock behind him, followed only seconds later by her muttering, "Maybe I will." Kakashi rubbed his eyes wearily and shook his head. He pitied whatever poor production company he'd just turned her loose on.

Once the fire was going again, he went back over to their spot to survey the mess. Tucking his hands in his pockets and peering down at where she was now stretched out along the hammock, he asked, "Well, shall we start cleaning up?"

Sakura's mouth curved into a pout but she didn't bother opening her eyes. "Can't we just stay here tonight?"

Kakashi arched a brow at her and glanced again at the mess. He _really_ didn't feel like cleaning up as it was, and she did look pretty tired. Still… "Have you ever slept in a hammock before?" She shook her head the barest amount. "Well, I'm telling you now it's not the most comfortable thing in the world."

"It's pretty comfy to me. C'mon, Kakashi-sensei, let's just stay here tonight!"

Sighing heavily, Kakashi shook his head before dropping down in the small space near her legs, being mindful that Pakkun was still there and probably wouldn't like being sat on. "You're going to regret this in the morning."

Sakura smiled sleepily and made room for him as he stretched out next to her. "No, I won't because I've now got a pillow," she replied as she twisted onto her side and cushioned her head on his chest. She yelped when he pinched her arm in retaliation, for which she exacted revenge by slapping his stomach lightly. "Pillows aren't supposed to pinch the people sleeping on them."

"And people aren't meant to be used as pillows," he observed as he rubbed her back soothingly. "Hopefully, all the walking tomorrow will work out any back kinks from this."

"Oh, that's right. You're leaving tomorrow." She at least sounded a little repentant now for choosing to camp out in a hammock all night.

Kakashi nodded and closed his other eye while letting one leg dangle over the side of their makeshift bed. "Hey, Sakura?"

"Mm?"

"Make sure Tsunade takes it easy on Izumo until Kotetsu gets back, alright?"

He felt her nod against his chest before she sucked in a yawn. "Kakashi-sen- Oops. I mean, Kakashi, wanna hear something cool?" she asked drowsily.

Smirking at her near slip, he humored her and said, "Sure, what?"

Sakura tapped a finger to his chest and mumbled, "I can hear your heart beating. For a while, Naruto and I were pretty sure you were heartless."

Kakashi laughed softly at the comment and combed his fingers through her hair. "Well, you'll just have to tell him otherwise the next time you see him."

He could sense the change in her mood more than he could see it and kicked himself mentally for pointing out their teammate was still absent. "Do you think he's gonna come back?" she whispered, her voice sounding dangerously close to tears.

"There's no doubt Naruto will be back, Sakura. This is his _home._ Everyone comes back home at some point." He wasn't just saying that to make her feel better either. It was the truth. Alive or dead, Konoha _always_ made sure their people came home.

"Think he's changed much?"

"About as much as you have with Tsunade, I would imagine."

Sakura groaned and buried her face into his shirt. "God… He's gonna come back just like Jiraiya-sama."

Kakashi smiled against the top of her head and replied, "Yes, but you're missing the most important part, Sakura."

"Which is?"

"He's coming back. And if he _does_ return as a miniature Jiraiya… You'll have every right to act like a miniature Tsunade and beat the shit out of him."

Sakura hummed sleepily, which he took to mean she was laughing. "That sounds lovely," she murmured before sighing as she lifted her head. Kakashi knew it was coming this time and leaned downward to meet her partially. Sakura gave him a light kiss before resettling herself against his side. "Sorry it's not the one helluva kiss I promised you."

"Oh, I don't know. It seemed about right to me. But, if you insist on correcting it to your standards feel free to do so."

Sakura made a dissenting sound in her throat and slurred hazily, "S'okay. Maybe in the morning."

"That sounds even better." Kakashi continued running his hand up and down her back gently as he listened to her breathing fall into a slow, steady rhythm. The hand that had been clutching his shirt loosened until just her fingertips were hooked under the fabric. Sighing, he made himself as comfortable as he could considering his back was going to be a hellish mess in the morning and tried to get some sleep.


	10. Wish I Knew

If there was one thing Shiranui Genma hated, it would be early morning. If there was one thing he hated even more than early morning, it was being awake early in the morning. He didn't give a damn if he was a shinobi who should be used to keeping odd hours. That didn't mean he had to _like_ it. When the sky was still cold grey and only a few annoyingly happy birds were up and chirping, he preferred to be in a warm bed with an incredibly sexy thigh slung over his hips.

But, seeing as the last week or so had sucked something fierce, he figured it only made sense that it should continue right through to the very end of the mission. All he cared about at that point was getting the hell home and rolling into bed with Shizune for an hour or so before she had to leave for work. He sighed wistfully and glanced over his shoulder at the muttered cussing about 'goddamned trees' and groaned under his breath as the man behind him shook off a bramble bush that had clung to his legs. So much for his plan to get there before she left.

"You know, you don't need to sprint, Shiranui," Saito snapped irritably.

"Who's sprinting?" Genma drawled back as he chewed on the end of his senbon and reminded himself that killing a teammate, however annoying they were, was a bad thing. There would be court marshals and paperwork, possible jail time with some burly guy named Miku who hadn't had a cellmate since _that incident_… Not to mention Shizune wasn't the type to get a kick out of conjugal visits. Over all, not worth the effort for five minutes of satisfaction.

"He's just tryin' to get home to his woman, that's all," Edorai joked, sending a knowing grin and wink in Genma's direction. While the tone to his words was light and friendly, the look in his eyes said he understood very well what sort of violent thoughts were going through the senbon user's head. Apparently, Genma wasn't the only one who was fed up with Saito's constant bitching, which was a little relieving. It really meant something if the usually laid back Shinto Edorai was reaching his breaking point. The guy had the patience of a first-year Academy instructor, after all.

"Yeah, but _some_ of us don't have a woman waiting for them. _Some_ of us don't- are you _fucking kidding me?_"

Genma looked back at Saito in the hopes he'd found a nice steaming pile of dog crap to step in. He frowned when he noticed the other man was more preoccupied with sending a horrified look directly in front of them rather than at his sandals. Following his gaze, Genma snickered at the sight of the enormous hill in front of them. The entire side was a pit hole of land scars and trees that were just beginning to reclaim the slope once again. During the last ninja war, it had been the sight of a major battle that occurred when some invading nin got too close to the borders of the village. He hadn't actually been there for fight, having been positioned with his teammates near the waterfall to thwart an ambush, but he'd heard it was one of the worst battles ever fought in Konoha's history. It was nice, after so much violence, to see the forest was repairing itself.

"What's the matter, Saito? Afraid of a little hike?" he taunted as he stepped out onto pond that was between them and the monster-sized hill. Saito was one of those shinobi that were not-so-affectionately called Wallet Nin. Meaning, they had a rich relative of some sort who basically bought, bribed and bullied the higher ups to make certain they made it through the jounin exams. He personally didn't begrudge someone for having wealth. What rankled him was when that wealth was used for ignoble purposes.

Most Wallet Nin were damned near useless beyond doing the administration work or wasting money by sitting in an office with some made up title to make them feel important. A few of them, however, weren't half bad in the field but they made it very clear they didn't like it. Saito was one of those sorts. He wasn't the worst of the Wallet Nin but because he didn't like going on missions he never applied himself full force. And when a guy was in a fight where he needed to rely on his teammates being a hundred percent at his back… Yeah, not cool. There were other reasons, besides the bad attitude, that people usually passed on missions with Saito.

"Fuck you, Shiranui!" Saito spat back as he stomped out onto the small pond, water splashing under his feet with each heavy step. With the way his mouth was turned down into a sour pout, he looked like some snot-nosed kid who'd just been scolded for playing with his father's shuriken. Genma sighed and rubbed a hand wearily across his eyes. Maybe he could get away with hurrying the rest of the way back, seeing as they were so close to… No, Raidou wouldn't let him. He'd get the disapproving look on his face before saying that the mission wasn't over until they _all_ walked through the gates. Raidou was a good friend but he also followed the rules to a T. Even if they were within three miles from home, if he left now it would be written up in the mission report. So… he was stuck with listening to Saito bitch. Marvelous.

He could understand why Edorai and Raidou had been paired up on a team with Saito. The first was insanely patient and the other didn't give a damn who was on his team so long as they pulled their weight. But as for himself… He couldn't prove it, but he was pretty certain Tsunade was still punishing him for sweeping Shizune off her feet. He understood that the Hokage treated his lover like a daughter but wasn't it just a _little_ wrong to be using village business as a means of tormenting him?

"Why, I do believe that was sexual harassment. Sorry, Saito, but you're just not woman enough for me. Keep trying though, you're getting pretty close," Genma remarked blandly, earning him a quickly cut off chuckle from Edorai and a stern frown from Raidou. His friend was warning him silently he should stop right there, but he wasn't in the mood to listen. Yeah, it was generally a bad idea to mock someone who'd bought their way into being one of Konoha's elite but he needed to vent _somehow_! Besides, if it meant loading Tsunade down with paperwork for the questionable conduct charges he was certain would be filed for his lip, it would serve her right. He didn't like Saito, and she didn't like paperwork. It seemed pretty fair in his book.

Saito's response was an incoherent splutter of sound as his face turned a bright, angry red. Without another word, he finished storming across the pond and out of ear shot from the rest of them.

"Thank _god!_" Edorai muttered as Saito walked up the bank on the other side and came to a halt, apparently to wait for them. "I don't know about you two but I'm gonna drink heavily to forget this mission ever happened!"

Chuckling, Genma twirled his senbon between his teeth and said, "When and where?"

"Kunai Kaede's around nine?"

"Sounds good. Raidou, care to join us in drowning the emotional duress?"

Raidou shrugged, which meant a yes for him. It had taken Genma something close to a year before he could interpret what every shrug or frown meant, a talent only a few people had mastered. Most people found Raidou's silence to be cold and uninviting. They just didn't understand that, in reality, he was probably one of the most solid guys in all of Konoha. Genma had trusted him with his life on more than one occasion. Obviously, since he was still alive, his trust hadn't been misplaced.

"Okay, looks like we're all on board then!" Genma grinned and tucked his hands into his pockets. Nine was a good time. If he missed seeing Shizune before she left, he'd at least get some time with her before going out for a bit. Maybe he could talk her into…

"Is that a dog staring at Saito?" Raidou asked, his voice sounding only mildly interested in his own question.

Genma's eyebrows rose curiously as he followed his friend's narrow-eyed glance in the direction of the shore. Sure enough, what had to be the biggest freakin' bulldog was standing in front of Saito with its ears perked and body in a tense, watchful stance that had the other man standing very, very still. Now it made sense why Saito hadn't continued on without them. Looking beyond the stand-off between man and beast, Genma noticed the remains of a fire pit as well as a hammock strung between a couple of trees with a leg dangling over the side. He followed the curve of the hammock up until he caught just the barest hint of silver colored hair peeking up near the top. So… it _was_ him. He thought he'd recognized the dog.

Rolling his eyes and muttering, "Aw, geeze," Genma hurried the rest of the way across the pond to keep Saito from either pissing himself or attacking the dog that was studying him with wary curiosity. "Hey, Bull! That your human's leg I see over there?" he called as he stepped onto solid ground once again, clapping a hand to Saito's shoulder and causing the other man to jump. It also caused him to pull his hand away from the shuriken holster he'd been going for. Definitely _not_ a good move to pull on a two hundred pound ninken, especially when the summoner of said ninken was a light sleeper and not even ten feet away. That was one sure way to piss off Hatake Kakashi. And, as much as he didn't like Saito, he wouldn't wish the hell that was a vengeful copy ninja on anyone.

Bull grunted and relaxed when he recognized Genma, obviously identifying him as a non-threat. Cocking his large head in the direction of the hammock, the dog rumbled, "Over there, but keep it down. The girl's still sleepin'."

_That_ nearly made the senbon fall from his mouth. "Girl… what girl?" Genma asked sharply. He glanced over at the hammock again and could just make out a mop of pink hair on Kakashi's chest. Wait a second… pink hair… Ooooh, yeah! Haruno Sakura. If she was there then that meant… Oh.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was a little more than a camp they'd walked in on. They were crashing a date. A date… where they'd both obviously spent the night out in a secluded forest. Shit. He glanced again at the leg hanging over the side of the hammock and noted that it was very female… and bare. Rubbing the back of his neck and praying for a negative response, he ventured to ask, "Are they, ah… decent over there?"

A hand appeared from inside the hammock and gave a halfhearted wave. "Yo!"

Genma couldn't help grinning at the drawled greeting. "Yo, yourself! Got clothing on?" he repeated, matching the same quiet tone Kakashi had used.

The arm appeared again, this time hanging over the side to better showcase the fact that it was still covered by a sleeve. "We're good. Just getting back?"

Chuckling, he walked over to the hammock, leaving his companions to make friends with Bull and the other two dogs that had wandered over as well to check out who the newcomers were. "Yeah, long story about that. Up for drinks tonight at Kunai Kaede's?" Genma's grin widened as he got a good look at the occupants of the hammock.

Kakashi looked for all the world like he'd passed out drunk in there with the way he was sprawled out. Sakura, on the other hand, was curled up in a fetal position against his side with one hand clinging tightly to his shirt like it was a teddy bear and her leg flung across his knees and over the edge of the hammock. The reason her leg had appeared bare was because she had her pants rolled up to her knees. Tucked into the small curve made by her body and directly on top of Kakashi's stomach was where Pakkun had made his bed. Over all… it looked freakin' uncomfortable.

Kakashi didn't bother cracking his eye open at the question. "Can't. Got a mission in a couple hours," he replied, covering his masked mouth to stifle a yawn.

Genma cringed, his gaze sweeping over the fabric sling dubiously. "And you slept in this thing?"

The silver haired man gave a vague shrug of his shoulders as he tucked the arm that Sakura was currently using as a pillow around her shoulders a little better. "There are worse things to sleep on than a hammock."

"Right… She asked you to, huh?"

"Mm, something like that. I don't think she'll want to do it again."

Genma snickered as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Your back's probably shot six ways to hell by now."

"Just about. Hey, can you do me a favor?" Kakashi ruffled a hand through his hair and squinted his eye open enough to look at Genma.

"Depends on the favor, Hatake. I _am_ kinda in a rush to get back," Genma replied slowly.

"Sure, sure, I understand. But would you four mind hauling this stuff back with you. See, if I take it all back I'll be late meeting up with my team-,"

"Gasp. Hatake Kakashi late? The world must be coming to an end."

"So, is that a yes?" Kakashi asked, purposely ignoring Genma's sarcastic interruption.

Sighing wearily, Genma surveyed the camp area critically. There wasn't a whole lot, really. Mainly the small table, some campout cooking pots and… "Hey, is that a projector?"

"Ah… yes."

Grinning, Genma shook his head and muttered, "You copying son of bitch… You used Asuma's idea, didn't you?"

"Mm-hm. Asuma's a pretty clever guy."

"Apparently, if even you're copying off of him."

"Can we get going now?" Saito snapped irritably, uncaring that his volume might wake someone up.

Both Kakashi and Genma shot the man annoyed glares as Sakura shifted sleepily in the hammock. Letting out an irritated huff, Kakashi muttered, "Now I get why you're grumpy." Well, well… it seemed the Copy Nin had worked with Saito in the past. It was a little gratifying that the bastard had even managed to get under Kakashi's cool skin. That took some real hardcore talent.

Grinning, Genma moved around behind the hammock and began taking the projector apart to carry back. The Academy was on the way to his place, so it wasn't too inconvenient. "Okay, guys, grab some stuff and start hauling!"

"What?" Saito yelped indignantly while Edorai and Raidou exchanged glances before they both moved toward the small folding table. "Why the hell are we doing that?"

"Because I'm pulling rank on your ass and telling you to," Genma drawled back, smirking as the other man simply gaped at him. Technically speaking, they were both jounin so there wasn't any real rank to pull. However… Genma had been a jounin since he was sixteen years old. Saito had just gotten his promotion six years ago. Even though rank didn't really exist once a ninja reached jounin, there _was_ such a thing as seniority… and he was gonna use it for all it was worth!

Despite the fact that Saito had to have known he could refuse orders from anyone other than an officially named team leader (which was Raidou, but he wasn't saying anything about it), he shut his mouth with an audible snap and began moving the trash Edorai and Raidou had cleared from the table over to the fire pit.

Genma glanced back when he heard Kakashi chuckle and muttered, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just so adorable to hear you pulling out the rank speech, that's all," Kakashi murmured.

"Oh, like you're one to talk! Who was it who made his first genin team scrub his dogs off as 'an exercise in teamwork'?"

"… That was a legitimate training technique, a prototype for the bell exercise. If they worked together, the dogs got cleaned faster."

"Bullshit, you lazy bastard! You just didn't wanna do it yourself!"

Kakashi shrugged but he didn't negate the point at all. Genma flashed a triumphant grin at the silent man, knowing he'd called it correctly. If there was a way to get out of doing something, Hatake Kakashi would find it and exploit it for all it was worth.

And yes, he was aware that was exactly what the smug bastard was pulling by asking them to clean his mess up. The truly sad thing was that, even though he knew this, he was still gonna do what Kakashi had asked. There was just something about him that made people _want _to follow him. Hatake Kakashi was charismatic… and the asshole knew how to use it to his best advantage, too. Genma let a puff of air escape his lips, blowing a few stray pieces of hair out of his face as he muttered, "Saito started a trash fire, so make sure to put that out before you leave."

"Of course. You're the best, Genma."

"You say that to everyone."

"But I only mean it for you." The line came complete with that happy, trust-me-I'm-harmless smile that usually always meant the exact opposite. Kakashi was talking utter crap now but he wasn't going to call him on it. He was too tired and too eager to get back to bother arguing. Besides, what was the point in fighting anyway? Kakashi would either: a) irritate him so much that he'd storm off with the projector before he'd even realized it, or b) manage during the course of the argument to make Genma feel guilty for some imagined slight, ending with him taking the projector back as an apology. Either way, he was leaving there with the damn thing, so was it really worth it to fight over the inevitable? Not really.

Hefting the projector to one shoulder, Genma waved over his shoulder and said, "I'll catch you when you get back, Kakashi. Later!"

"Later."

Giving one last look at the leg still hanging over the edge of the hammock, Genma smirked and shook his head. Honestly, the guy had some unbelievable balls on him! Dating the Hokage's apprentice was a serious thing. Dating her to teach a harsh lesson about seducing people was completely different. Wait until Tsunade found out… Genma cringed and felt a momentary stab of pity for the man sprawled out in the hammock.

Noting that his other teammates now had the camping table broken down enough to stuff into a pack, he jerked his head toward the hill and said, "Shall we, gentlemen? And, as a token of thanks for helping out with this, the first rounds tonight are on me!"

"Rounds? Where?" Saito asked quickly as a scowl turned his lips downward. "Hey, were you guys planning on going out without me? Oh, _that's_ real fucking cool! I mean, I slave away on this mission under the impression we're all friends and then _you_ all…"

Genma groaned and blocked out the tirade as best he could. He shrugged sheepishly when both Edorai and Raidou glared at him as he walked passed them to start climbing the hill. Hey, he hadn't done it on purpose! Of course… try telling that to his pissed off comrades. Sighing and rubbing his eyes with one hand, Genma muttered, "This is just not my day."

* * *

Kakashi's mouth stretched in a wide yawn as he slumped back as comfortably as he could into the hammock once again. He flinched when his stiff neck pinch tightly, sending the needle-like pain shooting down to the middle of his back. Damn it… He _really_ shouldn't have caved in to her request last night, even though it probably covered quite a bit of ground where dating her was concerned. Still… Not only was his back a lovely mess but he still needed to get his gear around for the mission.

Kakashi took a deep breath in, enjoying the smell of the forest first thing in the morning and making no effort to get up just yet. He was already going to be late, so what was the point in rushing things? It was already shaping up to be a lovely morning… for staying in bed, that is. Yeah, the client was the typical upper class sort; wealthy, powerful and with an attitude that hadn't been properly beaten out of him as a child. Tsunade had called him in to specifically tell him not to be late… but he was certain he could come up with a reasonable excuse by the time he was ready to leave.

He closed his eye once again and relaxed back into the warmth of Sakura's body curled up nearly on top of him. She mumbled something into his shoulder and snuggled more closely to him when he rubbed his knuckles along the back of her neck. Kakashi arched a brow at the damp spot on his shirt from where she'd drooled on him during the night before shaking his head and smiling. She was going to be such a wonderful shade of red when she saw what she'd done to his shirt!

He felt Pakkun shift on his stomach and cracked his eye open again when the little pug yawned and stretched. Pakkun blinked sleepily as he turned toward Kakashi and mumbled, "Mornin'."

"Yes, it is."

The dog snorted like the joke hadn't been all that funny (Pakkun _really_ had no sense of humor in the morning) and blinked his round eyes to where Sakura was draped over Kakashi's chest. "She still out?"

"Mm… Looks that way." As stealthily as he could, Kakashi pressed two fingers to her wrist and checked her breathing. Both were slow and steady, which gave every indication she was asleep. Then again… she _was_ a medic, trained by the Hokage herself. She very well could be controlling her bodily responses to make it seem like she was asleep. Reaching down to rub Pakkun's wrinkled neck affectionately, he said, "We can discuss it later, okay?"

Pakkun yawned once again, his mouth stretching wide as his eyes crinkled closed. "Sure, whatever you want. We're gonna get going now, if that's okay with you."

Kakashi waved his hand to indicate he had no objections to the dogs leaving when his stomach started itching something fierce. Frowning as he took care of the problem with a hard scratch, he asked, "Pakkun… do you have fleas again?"

"Maybe." He could hear the smugness in the dog's gravelly voice and knew the 'maybe' was more of a 'hell, yeah'. Fleas… How lovely.

"You do this to me on purpose, don't you?"

Jumping out of the hammock, the pug called without looking back, "You better get yourself up. I can hear 'em looking for you already." Several soft poofing sounds followed that statement, signifying that the dogs had left the area.

Sucking in a deep breath and stifling back another yawn, Kakashi looked down at the disorganized mess of pink plopped on his chest. It was a good thing Sakura was such a petite thing, otherwise the sleeping situation would have been a _lot_ worse off than it was. she actually fit pretty snugly next to him. And apparently she liked to imitate a barnacle when she slept; she was practically leeched to his side and front. Not that he was really complaining, though. Sakura was a very pretty girl, and he certainly never minded a pretty girl clinging to him in her sleep.

Sadly though… he was now going to have to brave the terror that was Haruno Sakura first thing in the morning. As nice as it would have been to just lounge around all morning, and possibly all afternoon, that wouldn't happen if a search party had already been sent from the Hokage's office. He'd rather avoid Tsunade finding out that he was dating her apprentice for as long as possible. Kakashi grimaced as he studied the sleeping girl once again, a thin sheen of sweat breaking across his brow as he tried to figure out a way to wake her up that wouldn't result in screamed threats or a skipping of the threats and going right for the physical pain.

The last time he'd had to wake her up had been on one of the last missions Team Seven had gone on before the chuunin exam incident. He'd used a teeny, tiny lightning jutsu on her feet… and had promptly ducked to miss the foot that would have shattered his nose beyond conceivable repair. Poor Naruto had been planning some prank behind his back and, as a result of Kakashi ducking, had taken the savage kick directly to his chest. He remembered being impressed with the amount of air Naruto's body was capable of achieving. The boy had remained sprawled on his back the entire twenty minutes Sakura screamed at him for waking her up like that while Kakashi very discreetly snuck away, leaving Sasuke blinking in sleepy irritation at his teammates.

Those had been some fun times. Had he known before then that torturing genin was actually more enjoyable than simply failing them perhaps he would have passed a few more teams. Oh, he wouldn't have allowed them any missions of course, but he probably could have made their lives hellish enough that they would have quit within a week anyway. He'd have to remember that the next time he had to do a turn as an instructor. For now though… Shocking her awake was flat out. No matter, there were other ways to wake her up, ones that would suit his purposes _much_ better.

Smirking, Kakashi brushed his fingertips against the back of her neck lightly, tickling the fine hairs and making a shiver work down her spine. The hand locked securely on his shirt tightened and tugged as if trying to pull him more securely underneath her. He let his fingers wander further downward, trailing from her shoulder to where her sleeve was bunched up at her elbow. He waited until she had settled herself again before tracing a gentle zigzag pattern across her bare forearm, promptly withdrawing his hand when she worked her other arm free enough to swat at him.

Kakashi grinned and dropped his hand down to her waist, very carefully inching her shirt up enough to expose a thin strip of her stomach and lower back. This time when he ran a finger across her skin, she jerked and growled low in her throat before twisting around to escape the ticklish sensation. Twisting around in a hammock, however, meant draping herself even further on top of him. She now had her leg stretched across his lower stomach and her face buried against his collar bone while her arm hugged tightly over his chest. He could feel her warm breath through his shirt, and that combined with the squeeze of her thigh around his waist made him swallow lightly.

Okay… This wasn't going exactly as planned. She wasn't waking up like he'd thought she would and he was afraid that if he continued along this path he was going to have a very different sort of problem to deal with. A very _hard_ problem. He didn't think Sakura would appreciate being woken up by an erection poking her in the leg. Right… The old-fashioned approach would have to do.

Sighing, Kakashi took a deep breath and shook her shoulder gently. She groaned but didn't budge. He repeated the gesture more firmly. It resulted in a louder groan and a mutter that sounded vaguely like 'pig'. Wow, not even fully awake and she was already calling him names. That had to be a new record for him. Kakashi shook her once more, this time rolling her completely off of him. Sakura scowled and stubbornly rolled back over onto him without even cracking an eyelid.

Maybe that teeny, tiny lightning jutsu wasn't such a bad idea after all.

No… It was. He'd leave there with a black eye at best and then have to tolerate Anko interrogating him over who got a drop on Copy Ninja Kakashi. He'd then be forced to come up with some elaborate story, which _really_ was a hassle and would probably involve something about being kicked by an angry mule, which Anko wouldn't buy anyway… Well, he knew of one _other_ way to get her up. It wasn't nearly as fun as tickling her awake but the results were guaranteed. And seeing as nothing short of dropping a chidori right on her head was working right then… This would have to do.

Kakashi carefully worked his way free from her and got out of the hammock. He waited until he could hear her breathing even out before grasping the edge of the fabric and pulling it toward him. She groaned loudly and tried to snuggle into the body that was no longer there. Grinning, Kakashi released the hammock and let it swing wildly. As expected, the sudden motion snapped her awake almost instantly. Sakura screeched and flopped about as she tried to steady herself in the pitching sling. "What the… Kakashi!"

Chuckling, he went over to the fire and kicked some loose dirt over it, stifling the flames and the smell of burning plastic while she continued to grumble and complain from the hammock. "It's time to get up," he called to her. It probably would have been quicker to use a water seal to douse the fire, but he was using the extra time involved in smothering it for her to orient herself and keep himself from possibly getting decked.

"Guh… What time is it?" Sakura muttered, her voice cracking a little as she spoke. Yawning, she shifted around until she was kneeling upright, but made no further move to leave the hammock. Apparently, she wasn't going to get up and kick his ass. Hurray for that.

"Early," he replied as he walked back over to where she was still rubbing a hand across her eyes sleepily. "I tried shaking you but it didn't work. So…"

"Why're you waking me at all?"

"Because I have to get back now."

She yawned again, blinking bleary eyes up at him. "Sucks to be you. Can't you just lemme sleep?"

"Alone in the woods? Especially with perverts wandering around?"

She smirked as she curled up into a tight ball again. "Can't be worse than the one already here," she retorted.

Kakashi shrugged off the insult and said unmercifully, "Call me what you want so long as you're up and moving while doing it."

Growling low in her throat, Sakura pushed herself upright and swung her legs over the edge of the hammock, nearly taking out his knees in the process. He was going to assume that it was accidental on her part, though the satisfied smirk on her face suggested otherwise. Kakashi bit his lower lip to keep from laughing as she stretched her arms over her head. Her hair was sticking out at all sorts of interesting angles and her eyelids were puffy, forcing her to squint. Plus… she had some dried drool that had crusted on her chin during the night. She looked awful and rather cute at the same time. Sort of like Pakkun when he'd been a puppy, come to think of it.

Sakura's scowl turned into a confused frown as she whirled around as if looking for something behind her. "Wuh…?" she muttered, obviously having noticed some of their gear was missing. "What the... Where's the projector?" Her eyes widened in horror as she frantically struggled to get out of the hammock. "Oh, crap… Some thugs came through and stole our stuff, didn't they? We've gotta go after them or Iruka-sensei is gonna be pissed!"

Nope, definitely not the sharpest kunai first thing in the morning. Kakashi dropped a hand on her shoulder to keep her from whirling around once more and explained, "A team was returning from a mission, Sakura. I knew one of the guys and asked him to take some of the stuff back for us so that we wouldn't have to."

"Oh… that makes sense. I was wondering why thieves would wanna take some crappy projector that belonged to the Academy anyway." She wiped a hand across her mouth, frowning when she felt the remains of her saliva on her chin. As soon as she realized what it was, her face turned a marvelous magenta shade that made him break out into a wide grin before she turned away and tried wipe it off discreetly. That would make it shade number sixteen now. She was like a chameleon for the color red.

Grimacing as she wiped her hand hastily against her pants, Sakura fluffed out her hair and looked around their camp once again. "So… what do we do now?"

"Well, first thing we need to do is get the rest of our stuff together," Kakashi answered as he began loosening the knots holding the hammock upright. "And then we walk back to the village where we'll go our separate ways. You'll go get a couple more hours of sleep in a real bed and I'll go meet up with my team."

"Ooooh… That sounds wonderful!" Sakura hugged herself, her eyes closing as a dreamy little smile crossed her lips. "Hammocks suck to sleep in!"

This was one of those I-told-you-so moments that regretfully would remain unvoiced. Instead, Kakashi began rolling the hammock up into a neat bundle while Sakura wandered down to the pond to splash cool water over her face. By the time she was done waking up with the aid of freezing pond water, he already had the hammock and cooking utensils packed away and was beginning work on the makeshift projector screen.

Sakura came over to join him on untying the knots, a happy little smile playing on her lips. "This really was a lot of fun, Kakashi," she said, glancing at him as she picked at a particularly tricky loop.

"Glad to hear you liked it," he answered sincerely. He finished untying his side and held the upper edge steady while she continued working on hers.

She laughed lightly and gave him a teasing glance as she threaded the final loop free from the knot. "You know, I'm gonna have a hard time topping this one."

Kakashi beamed at her and picked up the lower corner of the cloth at the same time she gathered hers. "Well, you'll have at least ten days to think about it. I didn't know this was a competition though."

Sakura brought her two corners together and stepped toward him to fold the cloth in half again. "It's not. I just... I don't want you getting bored or anything."

Now _that_ was something he doubted he'd ever be around Haruno Sakura. She was a constant source of entertainment, what with her feisty personality coupled with a disarmingly innocent charm. She could just as easily punch him out as she could blush, and it was the element of not knowing what sort of reaction he would get that was proving to be fun. "Trust me, Sakura, that's not going to happen," he assured her, his hands brushing against her purposely when they brought their two sides together.

She didn't back away or become flustered like he was half expecting this time. Instead, curious green eyes watched him intently as her fingers toyed over his idly. "Really?" she asked softly.

Kakashi took the opportunity she presented and covered her hands with his, squeezing them warmly. "That is, unless you're planning on an evening of filling out mission reports for our next date," he teased as he drew back from her, a grin breaking out when she rolled her eyes and smiled in return.

"There goes _that_ idea," Sakura sighed with mock disappointment. Then, giving him a narrow-eyed, mischievous glance, she asked, "What if it involved filling out mission reports with random gibberish?"

"Ah, now _that_ would be interesting! It would drive the code breaker units crazy trying to decipher it, and Tsunade would probably have our hides for creating unnecessary work… but it'd be worth it."

Sakura giggled, her eyes sparking brightly with humor. Kakashi couldn't help smiling back at her. Her eyes were her best feature, but they were also her downfall. They were far too honest and open with their expression, something that was infectious on a personal level and could prove dangerous on a professional. She'd seen and done quite a bit for someone as young as she was, but she was still incredibly innocent about some of the darker, harder aspects of her profession. It made him a little sad to think that in a couple years that would change. All it would take was one moment- a mission gone horribly wrong or the wrong call in treating a patient- to make those eyes turn cold and hard.

As if sensing his shift in mood, Sakura eyed him nervously, her lower lip caught between her teeth. "Kakashi," she began slowly as he took the cloth from her and finished folding it. "Why did you say yes?"

She was changing the subject and he didn't mind it in the least. "To…?"

"Me."

Kakashi nodded slightly. He'd figured that was what she was asking. Shrugging his shoulders, he tucked the blanket under one arm and used the other to haul her in for a light hug. Sakura didn't tense up this time, though it did take her a couple uncertain seconds before she actually returned the embrace. When it became apparent he wasn't objecting, her arms tightened around him and her hands pressed into his back more surely.

"You want to know why I said yes to you asking me out?" he asked, speaking into her hair and keeping his tone low and intimate. She nodded against his chest. Smirking, Kakashi answered, "Because I had no reason to say no."

Sakura snorted disdainfully and leaned back enough to glare up at him. "That's such a lame answer, Kakashi-sensei!"

"I thought it sounded rather deep and meaningful," Kakashi argued.

"Yeah, it was so deep and meaningful I think Gai-sensei's gonna borrow it sometime."

Kakashi sighed as his shoulder slumped dismally. "It wasn't _that_ bad." He hoped like hell she was only kidding about that. If not… He'd have no choice but to flee Konoha in utter shame.

Sakura grinned wickedly as her fingers traced lightly between his shoulders. "Next thing you know, you'll show up wearing green spandex."

He couldn't have kept the look of disgust from his face if he'd tried. "That's a really horrible thing to say, Sakura. Of course… It'd make scoping out my ass from behind a lot easier for you." His eye crinkled happily at the raging red shade that burned across her cheeks for having been called out on that. Or, rather, for her clone getting called out. His clone had been very aware of the fact that hers was watching his ass like a dog eying table scraps. Subtly was an art, and Haruno Sakura still had a bit to learn on the subject.

She shoved away from him hard and stomped over to the packs, hefting the larger one to her shoulders as easily as if it was stuffed with feathers. "Shouldn't we be going now?" she called over to him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Now you're suddenly in a rush to leave?" he teased as he went over and picked up the other pack. He stuffed the cloth into the top of it and snapped it closed once again before slinging it to his shoulders. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Sakura. It's a nice compliment."

"For the love of… You are such an arrogant, lazy, mentally unbalanced-,"

"Please, stop. I might actually blush."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him before turning on her heel to tackle the climb upward. "Wouldn't matter if you did anyway, seeing as you wear that stupid mask all the time."

"To hide the incredibly long nose hair, buck teeth and hare lip, remember?" Kakashi followed after her, silently admiring the same view she'd had of him yesterday. She wasn't as curvy as some of her peers, but what she had was definitely easy on the eyes. Her legs were especially nice; long and slender looking even through the baggy pants. It felt a little wrong that he was checking out his ex-student's legs… but it seemed only fair since she'd been openly ogling his ass.

"You really are no fun, Kakashi-sensei."

"You keep telling me that, Cherry-chan. Any idea where you wanna go when I get back?"

The smile she flashed over her shoulder told him she was only pretending to be more upset than she actually was. "You're not gonna 'conveniently' forget about that?" she joked.

Kakashi let his gaze drift downward over her slim figure once again without bothering to hide it from her. Sakura's cheeks flared up as her bottle-green eyes rounded in shock. It was a completely genuine expression, which surprised him in turn. Was she really that unused to having men look her over, or was it just the fact that he was openly doing it? "Not likely, seeing as you _did_ agree to wear that dress out," he commented.

"Oh… So, you really liked that one, huh?" She sounded as if his answer had been a little surprising, and once again he couldn't tell if she was simply putting on the innocent act or if she really was unaware of just how pretty she was.

"Even more than the one you wore our first night out."

Sakura smiled at the compliment, tucking her mussed up hair behind one ear. "You should see what I have planned for our next date," she called back brazenly before scrabbling up over a particularly knotted section of earth.

"I can't wait," he murmured, his blood pulsing just a little faster. A hundred different scenarios played out inside his head, everything from a demure number similar to what she normally wore to fetish-wear that made his throat tighten. Okaaaay… stopping there. He doubted he'd ever be able to talk her into wearing a fetish costume anyway, even if he'd been so inclined as to take their 'relationship' that far. It was a nice thought though.

"Well, you're gonna have to. At least until you get back." She giggled playfully as she glanced at him over her shoulder. It could have been completely coincidental, but he could have sworn she straddled the tree trunk in her path just a little longer than was necessary.

"Not even a sneak preview description?" he questioned, playing along with her game.

Smirking, Sakura hopped over a fallen tree and wagged a finger at him. "Nope! Consider this a payback for keeping me in the dark about this date. You'll just have to spend the next several days imagining it."

Oooh… He probably would be, much to his chagrin. Kakashi would dare any man _not_ to imagine her in whatever stage of dress they wanted. The only difference between those other guys and him was that _he_ wasn't going to be so easily distracted by the ploy. This was business, for the both of them. She was trying to get something from him and he was teaching her a lesson. Simple as that.

She really did have nice legs, though.

Shaking his head, Kakashi followed along behind her and pointedly looked anywhere but at her attractive physique. Sometimes, business really sucked. The next several days were going to be absolute hell.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're being awfully quiet. Or are you too busy staring at me to say anything?"

Or perhaps he already _was_ in hell.

* * *

It didn't seem to take as long as she'd thought it would to get back to Konoha. Funny how the hike/sprint to their date spot felt like it'd taken forever and a day. Even funnier than that was the reluctant pang she felt when the gates to the village came into view once again. Sakura sighed wistfully, her pace slowing almost as if her legs had a will of their own. Weird… Yesterday, she'd wanted to kill Kakashi with a plastic spoon. But after last night's incredibly sweet and surprisingly fun date… She was willing to put the Plastic Spoon of Death away for a bit.

They'd been talking and joking around at first, but then she'd accused him of staring at her and he'd clammed up. Now, neither of them said a thing, simply walking side-by-side down the wide business road leading into Konoha. Maybe she was being paranoid in thinking she'd said something wrong. No, that was silly considering he'd been teasing her about the same exact thing. Sakura glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. Kakashi didn't so much as glance her way, but that didn't mean he was unaware of her watching him.

It was _really_ unfair that the best date she'd ever had (out of the few that she _had_ had) was with a guy whose pornographic novels she was trying to steal, without him finding out of course. Even without Tsunade's stupid stipulations, she didn't want Copy Ninja Kakashi knowing she was the one to have taken his beloved books. That would be very bad for her health, both mental and physical. Damn it… Why couldn't dating him be as bad as she'd been expecting? Oh, sure, he was probably one of the most infuriating people she'd ever met, but he was also rather…

Cute? No, that was such a wrong word for Hatake Kakashi. Cute was for kittens and that dress she'd spotted in a shop when he'd walked her home. It didn't fit a man who had more assassinations under his belt than any other ninja in the entire village.

Nice? Mm… That wasn't right either. Nice was what she'd use to describe mochi. Or Jubei. And he wasn't nice all the time. Sometimes, he was a complete asshole.

Sexy- Wait, where the hell did _that_ come from? She flashed back to a nice view of Kakashi's ass that she hadn't experienced first hand yesterday. Argh… If she could kill her clone for gaping at his ass all afternoon, she would. And then to get caught doing it, too! That was just beyond embarrassing!

Well… whatever she thought of him, it wasn't important. What _did_ matter was the fact that he was being really quiet, which worried her a little bit. Maybe she'd been wrong to think he could take it as well as he dished it. No, that was absurd. He'd been bantering around with her just fine the day before. Perhaps it was the mission then? She'd honestly forgotten he was leaving today when she'd asked if they could stay out. Of course… he always could have said no, so he was partially to blame for it.

Either way, his silence wasn't a good thing. The point of dating him was to get close enough to swipe those stupid books. If she just let him leave now with nothing more than a '_take care, don't get yourself killed'_ then she'd be taking a step back from her goal. Besides… there was still the problem of kissing him. She _had_ to get over that fluttery feeling, and she had to do it fast! If she kept getting dizzy and unable to breathe, he was going to catch on that she was up to something. Kissing him had to be natural, effortless, not faint-inducing.

Sakura's gaze flickered from the swiftly approaching gates to the man walking quietly next to her with his hands stuffed his pockets and his eye studying the ground at his feet as if searching for land mines. Was he ignoring her on purpose, to see if she'd make a move? That seemed like something Kakashi would do. Alright, fine then! She'd take him up on the challenge and put _him_ in his place for a change!

Grabbing his wrist in one hand, Sakura tugged him off the main road and over to a small stand of trees just to the side of the gate. "Sakura?" Kakashi asked curiously as he removed his hand from his pocket in order to take her hand better. "Sakura, what are you-"

He never had a chance to finish. No sooner were they out of sight from the main gate and the people roaming around just inside than Sakura looped her arms around his neck and brought him down into a kiss. Instantly that tingly feeling returned to her skin, like that one time he'd zapped her with a bit of lightning to wake her up. It hit her everywhere that they touched; her lips on his cloth covered ones, her hands as they massaged the back of his neck, her waist where his warm hands held her in place. Her stomach twisted sharply, but it wasn't at all unpleasant like when she was about to be sick. This felt nice. It was warm and made her heart beat faster and…

Sakura pulled away with a small, surprised gasp, blinking dazedly at a spot near his collarbone as she tried to make sense of why this wasn't working as she'd thought it would. It'd made sense that the more she kissed him the less it would affect her, so why were the feelings getting more intense? If she didn't know any better, she'd almost say she was…

Her thoughts stopped right there when she felt Kakashi press a kiss to her forehead before moving to place another on her cheek and then further in on the corner of her mouth. What little control she'd managed to regain over her heart rate and breathing instantly went out the window as he pulled back slightly, just enough to meet her gaze. One hand moved up the outside of her arm, brushing across her shoulder until it cupped her cheek gently. Sakura's lips parted when his thumb slid along her jaw line to rub across her lower lip in such a way that her stomach knotted and her mouth was suddenly very dry. The look in his eye was intense, the dark grey color becoming even darker with this new emotion.

For a moment, it looked like Kakashi was about to kiss her again… But then some raging _idiots_ decided that was the perfect time to leave the village, laughing so freakin' loudly that it made her jump and push away from him. She glared at the group as they passed by, all of them jounin apparently going on a mission. She hoped like hell they camped out in the middle of a giant, extra-itchy patch of poison ivy.

Kakashi's sigh made her turn back to him, still pissed off that the moment had been ruined and still incredibly flustered by her failed experiment. Sakura flushed lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes crinkling into a sheepish smile. "As annoying as that was, I suppose it was a good thing," he said, his voice sounding like he was trying to convince himself of that fact as well as her.

Sakura folded her arms across her chest and muttered, "That's a matter of opinion."

"What?"

She shook her head and heaved a heavy breath. "Nothing." He was right, she supposed. She'd been enjoying the kiss a little too much. Digging her sandal into a clump of dirt, Sakura stared at a point in the middle of his chest and asked, "So… I guess this is the part where we go our separate ways?"

"That'd be the part. Not that I wouldn't have minded kissing you for the rest of the day… But eventually Anko would hunt me down, and that wouldn't be a good thing."

Sakura smiled at the joke as that warm sensation began to uncurl once again over the idea of him kissing her all day. Wait, no… That was a very wrong thought! Sighing, she nodded and began moving backward toward the gate. "That wouldn't be," she agreed begrudgingly.

Kakashi made her jump when he reached out and threaded his fingers through her hair, tucking the strands back behind her ear gently. "That _was_ one helluva kiss though."

She couldn't help the grin that spread across her cheeks as she shrugged. "Yeah, well I did kinda promise you one, didn't I?"

"And you certainly kept your word." Her breath caught once again when he pulled his hand away, letting his fingers trace her lips lightly before dropping to his side, almost as if he were trying to memorize the feel of them. It took a lot of effort to keep her knees from buckling underneath her, but she somehow managed it. She could still feel the rough texture of his thumb on her lips long after he'd pulled away and crammed his hands into his pockets.

He walked passed her, his side grazing hers in the process. "See you later, Sakura," he called before reaching out and ruffling her hair. Sakura yelped and swung her fist around to punch him for that… But, naturally, he'd already disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Huffing and glaring at the last tendrils of smoke that were flitting away on the early morning breeze, Sakura entered Konoha and began making her way through the weaving streets back to her apartment. She needed to talk to Ino as soon as possible about all this.

* * *

"You're freakin' late, Hatake!"

Kakashi didn't even glance up from his book at Anko's sharp voice. "Yo!"

"Take your 'yo' and cram it up your ass! We've been waiting here for almost _three hours!_"

"Better late than early." He finally looked over the top of _Icha Icha_ to flash a happy smile at the scowling woman. Honestly… Anko was going to have an aneurism one of these days if she didn't ease down a bit. And three hours wasn't that bad considering he'd gone home, showered, fallen asleep in the shower, woken up when the water was ice cold, packed, gotten breakfast and was stopped by three different search teams on his way to the designated meeting spot. All in all, he'd made pretty good time if he did say so himself.

Kotetsu, who was leaning on the wall that surrounded the entire village, sighed and rubbed a hand across his face wearily. "Lord Tsuigetsu is extremely angry, Kakashi-san," he said miserably. "You _know_ he controls forty percent of all rice goods imported into Konoha, right? If this affects our trade practices in any way, Tsunade-sama will be furious."

"Really? How fascinating." He flipped to the next page in his book while making a mental note to switch from rice to noodles.

Anko growled irritably and stomped over to him, her hands firmly planted on her hips. She stuck her face directly in his, forcing him to lean back or risk having his nose within biting range. "Don't you _dare_ screw this mission up for me, Hatake! I don't think I could take another week of desk duty," she growled menacingly.

Letting out a low sigh, Kakashi made note of the page number and closed his book, stowing it away at his back again before tucking his hands into his pockets. "If you really want to know why I was late-," he began calmly. This wasn't the first time Mitarashi Anko had invaded his personal space, and it definitely wouldn't be the last.

"I don't particularly care," the dark haired woman snapped. "You can tell it to Lord Tsuigetsu!"

"But it's actually rather amusing. See, there was this cute little kitten and it-,"

"Shut up and _move it!"_ Kakashi grunted as Anko gave his shoulders a hard shove forward toward the gate, her teeth grinding so loudly he could hear it. That really couldn't be very good for her. Combine that with her love of sweets and her dentist must be making a fortune off of her mouthly woes.

"And I do hope you have a better story to tell than that, Kakashi-san," Kotetsu added from behind him. "He won't find anything amusing about a kitten, no matter how cute you claim it was."

Damn. What sort of person didn't care about a kitten? Kakashi hooked his thumbs behind the straps of his pack and ignored Anko's muttered comments as he led the team out of the village to meet up with the traveling lord and his entourage.

As they left through the gates, Kakashi's eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of organized chaos that met him. There were more than the twenty people Lord Tsuigetsu had said there would be. As in, twenty should have been doubled and they should have had a fourth teammate for the job. That would have made it ten people per ninja to guard, which was doable. Now, it was closer to fifteen and _that_ made a difference in how they would operate. Not to mention the covered carts hauling the lord's personal and business affects. There were at least twelve of those to consider since they were being paid to guard the luggage as well.

The majority of the extra people appeared to be servants running around and checking that the cloth coverings were secure over the carts, many of which had shiny, gold colored objects in them that didn't look like they were necessary for traveling or were for trading purposes. He was pretty certain he spotted a very pretty vase with the Tsuigetsu emblem wrought across it in gold. A rather large, angry looking man was shouting orders left and right about where things were supposed to go, be careful with something-or-other it was priceless and where the _hell_ were 'those ninja' at.

Sighing inwardly, Kakashi began weaving his way through the mass of rushing servants toward the red faced man. Just behind the overseer was a smaller group of people, none of whom looked as if they were additional retainers. Judging by the finely made clothing they wore, this was Lord Tsuigetsu and his immediate family. As if on cue, the taller man in the group turned to meet his gaze levelly, his dark eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin, unamused line.

He glanced over his shoulder when Kotetsu poked him in the back and muttered, "That's Lord Tsuigetsu Asano. Please, Kakashi-san…"

Kakashi smiled reassuringly at the younger man and murmured, "Don't worry so much, Kotetsu." For some reason, that made the younger man's face go a little paler than it already was. Honestly, it was as if Kotetsu had absolutely no faith him! Deciding he'd done his best to reassure the other man that he wasn't going to do anything that would risk the village, Kakashi turned around to face the man walking briskly towards them.

Lord Tsuigetsu didn't appear much older than he was. He was rather pale and it was obvious from how smooth his hands were that he hadn't lifted much more than chopsticks his entire life. His yukata and outer coat were made of some material that was probably worth more than everything inside Kakashi's apartment combined. Despite the typical upper class exterior, however, there was a shrewdness to his gaze as he looked Kakashi up and down that suggested he wasn't someone to be taken lightly. This man was a thinker, a strategist, and sometimes they were the wrong people to piss off.

"You're Hatake Kakashi," Lord Tsuigetsu said, his voice surprisingly deep for such a lean man.

"And you're Lord Tsuigetsu," Kakashi answered, ignoring the hissed command to bow from behind him. This wasn't a formal introduction in the least. It was two men sizing each other up and therefore didn't require bowing.

The twinge of Tsuigetsu's lips said he understood this as well. His shoulders relaxed marginally as he continued to hold Kakashi's gaze. "You're not what I expected the famous Copy Ninja to be."

"Thank you. I'd hate to be predictable."

Tsuigetsu's eyes lighted briefly, hinting at laughter that probably hadn't been let out in many years. Without turning, he held his hand out behind him. Instantly, a woman stepped forward and took it, allowing him to guide her to his side. She was very careful about keeping her eyes averted from either of them, content merely to be paraded around as a picture-perfect doll that listened to everything but never said a word. "This is my wife, Lady Tsuigetsu Hana. Your Hokage was kind enough to confirm that she's carrying my heir."

"Then we'll be certain to take extra precautions with her care," he replied to the unspoken order.

Satisfied that that was settled, Tsuigetsu released his wife and folded his hands behind his back. Lady Tsuigetsu instantly returned to her place just behind him. "You do realize that you are late by over three hours."

At the soft snort from Anko, Kakashi glanced over his shoulder and shot a mild glare at the woman. "Yes, I do. However, I decided it wasn't best to leave at the appointed time for safety reasons. In case anyone who means you harm may have heard what time we're supposed to depart." This time, Anko gave a light cough that sounded vaguely like 'bullshit'. Oh… It was going to be a _long_ trip, especially for her. He was going to see to that personally.

Fortunately, the lord didn't seem to notice her, ah… coughing spell and nodded understandingly. "Of course. That's the only logical reason you would keep a well-paying client waiting for so long. Now that you're here though, shall we proceed? I'm very anxious to reach the borders of Grass Country as soon as possible."

"Naturally, but I need a word with my team first. It seems you forgot to mention a few people when you requested an escort."

Lord Tsuigetsu's smirk was completely unapologetic. He didn't give a damn that he'd not only ripped off the village but that he was putting all of his people in greater risk by hauling the extra treasure around. "My apologies, but they slipped my mind," he replied insincerely.

Yes… Because it was just _so_ easy to forget about twenty extra people and eight additional carts filled to overflowing with family heirlooms. If there weren't the political implications involved, he would have called the nobleman out on this but going by the sharp elbow jab from Kotetsu, Tsunade was probably already aware of the extras and taking necessary measures. She was probably alerting the Grass Ninja right now to make sure they weren't robbed and was more than likely making preparations to collect a little more out of the client. Nothing like an ANBU squad standing on the doorstep to make someone pay their bill.

Kakashi nodded as if he totally understood how it was possible to 'accidentally' forget the size of his entourage and said, "We'll make a few necessary changes and be on our way within the next ten minutes. That should be enough time for your party to finish any last minute preparations of their own."

Lord Tsuigetsu nodded slightly and walked away with his wife and immediate retainers in tow. Once he was out of ear shot and content to watch the overseer continue screeching at the servants, Kakashi turned to his team and let out a long, low breath. "Well… That was pleasant, wasn't it?"

Anko snorted and shook her head, casting a hard look at the client's back. "You know, I'm really glad I'm not rich or anything. He's acting like these people don't matter."

"They don't, Anko. But that's why we'll do our best to protect them, because no one else will." Kakashi beamed at her as he patted her head once again, earning him a reluctantly drawn out smile. "There we go! No bad moods before the start of the mission, okay? I'm sure we'll all be at our wits end by the time we reach Grass anyway."

"The Hokage will definitely hear about this," Kotetsu muttered darkly. "I've never had to escort this many people before, Kakashi-san. Perhaps it'd be best-,"

"Why, Kotetsu, I never would have pegged you for being a quitter," Kakashi replied while scraping some dirt off his sandal with the underside of its twin. His tone was light and conversational but he made damned certain there was enough disappointment in it to get the point across.

Kotetsu's back snapped straight as his jaw opened in shock. "I-I wasn't quitting!" he stammered quickly. "I was only suggesting perhaps we should send a message to the Hokage for more back up, that's all!"

Kakashi reached into the pouch at his back and pulled out a scroll that was only a little bigger than his hand and gave it a little wave. "Already have our back up here."

Anko wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms under her breasts irritably. "Your mutts," she sneered.

"What about them?"

"I hate dogs, Hatake. My cat's gonna go ape-shit crazy when she smells them all over me!"

And that was why he wasn't a cat person. If he came home smelling like another dog, he didn't need to worry about Pakkun getting jealous. If anything, the pug would be curious about memorizing the other dog's scent. And if it weren't for the fact that he'd seen some of the gouges Anko's cat had left in the past he would have thought she was lying.

"Then it's a good thing I wasn't going to station them near you," he answered. "Our positions stay the same; Anko as rear guard, Kotetsu near the immediate family and me taking the front. Two dogs will remain behind the group to check for possible attacks while staying as hidden as they can. Three more will circulate through the middle of the group openly to help keep an eye on the extra people. The last three will scout ahead for potential ambushes and traps. Agreed?"

When both of his teammates nodded, Kotetsu looking relieved he wasn't being asked to bite off more than he could chew (which proved the man knew his limits), Kakashi whipped out a kunai and pressed the blade against his thumb, drawing up a thin line of blood that he then ran along the scroll. As the crimson faded into the parchment and disappeared as if it had never existed, Kakashi returned the scroll to his pouch and said, "Then let's get moving."

* * *

"Sakura? Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

Sakura jumped when Shizune placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a light shake, tearing her attention away from the large window in the waiting area that looked out over the entire village. Blinking rapidly and shrugging off the hand Shizune was now attempting to place on her forehead, she said, "Sorry, what?" She hadn't heard a word of what the older woman had said.

Shizune frowned as she pulled her hand away. "I just said Tsunade-sama is ready for you now… for the third time. Are you feeling well?"

"Umm… yes. I'm fine. Sorry, just kinda… zoned out for a bit." The instant the words left her mouth she cringed, knowing that a lecture was going to come about focus being mandatory for all medic nin. As much as she hated getting lectured by Shizune (the woman just went on and on…), she knew she deserved it this time.

She'd gotten distracted by the almost imperceptible sight of a large group of people leaving the village, one of whom had very distinctive silver colored hair. From this height, Kakashi was about the size of her pinky finger, but for some reason she felt as if she couldn't stop watching until he disappeared from view entirely. She also couldn't explain why this seemed to make her feel… sad. Stupid, really, seeing as he was always coming and going on missions. He'd be home before she knew it and back to pissing her off the very next day. Why she would miss _that_ was anybody's guess.

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath as Shizune followed the direction she'd been looking in and caught sight of the very tale end of the departing group. A soft little smile touched the older woman's lips as she glanced at Sakura from the corner of her eye. That look made Sakura swallow heavily with nerves. Why did she look so… understanding? Shouldn't she be getting into her lecture right now.

When Shizune instead pulled her into a gentle hug, Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "It's okay, Sakura," the dark haired woman said softly. "I know you're worried, but you really shouldn't be. This is Kakashi-san, after all. He'll be fine."

"I-I'm not worried," she stammered quickly as she tried to extricate herself from the hug. Now she knew why Shizune had given her such a sympathetic look. She'd obviously thought that Sakura was worried about Kakashi for more personal reasons. The very thought made her cheeks wanna combust into flames. "Really, Shizune-san, it's not-,"

Shizune pulled back and patted her shoulder affectionately, a friendly smile spreading across her cheeks. "I understand, Sakura. I probably shouldn't have said anything, seeing as your relationship is still very new, but I do know how you feel watching someone you care about leave. It's how I get whenever Genma is gone. So, please, if you ever feel you need to talk… you _can_ come to me."

Swallowing hard at the misplaced act of kindness, Sakura smiled weakly at her and gave a faint nod. "Sure. Thanks, Shizune-san," she managed to squeeze out as she hurried toward Tsunade's office door. This was so completely humiliating! She felt very bad that Shizune thought she was pining away for Kakashi but there wasn't much she could do to change that. After all, no one was supposed to know the real reason she was dating him. Although, if Shizune found out maybe she'd keep Tsunade from giving her those midnight shifts… No, it would be best not to involve Shizune in something like this.

Sakura knocked on the door quickly, hoping Tsunade wasn't asleep on her desk or anything. That would just make her morning complete; being the first to wake up a hung over Tsunade. She yelped and jumped back when the door opened so swiftly that it banged against the wall and made a dusting of plaster rattle down from the ceiling. "About damn time, girl," Tsunade snapped as she marched out of her office. "You've kept me waiting now for almost ten minutes!"

"Sorry, shishou, Shizune-san and I-,"

"This is _not_ gossip hour, ladies! When you're here, I expect you both to be working!"

"Of course, Hokage. Forgive me," Shizune murmured, giving Sakura a reassuring wink as the girl hurried after her quickly moving teacher.

"Yeah, sorry, shishou. It won't happen again," Sakura added immediately, her mind reeling as she tried to keep pace with the much older woman. Honestly… Where did Tsunade find this kind of energy so early in the morning? She was still trying to wake herself up after she'd gone home and found Ino had duct taped her entire bed the night before in retaliation for the shaving cream prank. Stupid Pig… If she didn't need advice so badly, she'd put something _much_ worse in her roommate's bed for that! Instead of getting more sleep, she'd spent the next couple hours picking duct tape off her sheets and pillows.

"It better not, Sakura. If there's one thing I despise it's tardiness. Now, you better pay close attention today, girl, because what I'm about to teach you is one of the most complicated techniques a medic can hope to learn; poison extraction and the making of antidotes. Stay with me, take notes and do _not_ touch a single thing unless I tell you that it's safe. Understood?"

"Yes, shishou!"

"Good! Shizune, I'll be with Sakura for the next four hours so you're to man the office until I return," Tsunade continued as she entered the elevator at the opposite end of the room. "Hold any messages, have Izumo track down that good-for-nothing Buntaro to get the latest on his team's border surveillance and if Danzo comes looking for me, tell him he _will_ make an appointment like everyone else or he will be banned from my office until I say otherwise. Oh, and move my appointment with the trade representative from Suna back until six tomorrow evening. I have to have a talk with your lover about sexually harassing his teammates first thing tomorrow morning."

Shizune bowed sharply and replied, "Yes, Hokage-sama! I'll- _What?_ Tsunade-sama, what do you mean by-,"

Unfortunately, the elevator doors slid shut then, cutting off a horribly shocked Shizune in mid question. Sakura took one look at her mentor's tight jaw and narrowed eyes and knew better than to try and start a conversation right then. She wasn't angry yet but she was definitely in a passionate mood that wouldn't tolerate questions outside of work and training. Sakura sighed under her breath and checked the clock on the elevator wall as subtly as she could. It was only nine-thirty in the morning. This was gonna be such a long day.

* * *

"Faster! And watch the back draft from your fingers, Lee. If you want to be successful with this, you _must_ work harder!"

Tenten rolled her eyes as she poked irritably at the fire with a stick. Gai and Lee had been at it for _hours_! When their leader had first announced they'd be camping early, she hadn't questioned his generosity and had simply gone about getting the fire going and their food rations around. Neji had disappeared to fill their canteens and Lee… was busy trying to pickpocket Gai. This had been going on now for the last three days, so she was sort of getting used to it. She didn't like it… but it was better than Gai-sensei making them march until even Neji voiced a complaint about the strain. Every time they had stopped to make camp during their mission, Gai would pull Lee aside, put an all too familiar orange covered book at his back and order his young worshipper to steal it from him.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were planning, though she and Neji had both almost fainted the first time their enthusiastic team leader had whipped out a book of porn and told Lee to steal it. Well… okay, _she'd_ nearly dropped to the ground. Neji'd only lifted his brows a little, which for him was like Oh-my-god-what-the-hell shock. After that, he'd shaken his head and muttered something before announcing he was going to get some water.

And that was their new routine for the evenings; Tenten got the fire and dinner going, Neji organized their camp and refilled their water and Gai trained Lee to steal _Icha Icha Paradise_. Tenten shook her head as she opened the packages of dried seaweed and dumped them into a pot for soup. She wondered vaguely what Lee would say if he learned Sakura really wasn't into her former teacher. Obviously, Gai-sensei knew something was up, otherwise why would he be training Lee to target the books specifically?

Sakura was gonna freak _out_ when she found out what Lee was up to. No one was supposed to know anyway. Tenten had no idea how Gai had even found out, but she wasn't gonna say anything just in case this was him getting lucky with a guess. And Lee was trying _so _hard, too. He always worked hard, but it was obvious he was pouring his very heart into this training, however misguided it happened to be. It was actually kinda sweet, she had to admit to herself. Lee cared for Sakura so much he would risk Hatake Kakashi tracking him down to kill him for stealing those books.

Of course… she also had to admit that she could understand _why_ Kakashi would kill for them. While Gai and Lee weren't busy using the book for practice, she'd been exercising her long unused pickpocket skills to steal it for reading purposes. Hey, she couldn't help it! Ever since she'd first caught sight of Kakashi roaming around with his nose buried in the latest edition, she'd been curious about them. And she _could_ have just gone out and purchased one for herself… except there were certain people she didn't want seeing her buy porn.

Like Yamanaka Ino.

Or, more importantly… Hyuuga Neji.

Tenten snuck a glance over her shoulder in the direction of the river and felt her cheeks grow warm when she caught sight of Neji crouched at the river's edge. She really hoped he wasn't doing a parameter sweep with the byakugen at that time. There wasn't any way he'd miss her watching him, and _that_ would be beyond embarrassing. When he stood up and slung the canteens to his shoulders, she quickly turned back to opening the rest of the dried ingredients. There was no way she wanted him to catch her peeking at him. He'd think she was one of those crazy, stalking fan girls or something!

Her heart froze for the space of a couple beats when he came right up next to her and handed her one of the canteens before setting the rest safely away from the fire. "What are you making?" he questioned, his tone implying he really couldn't have cared less.

Nodding as she tried to control the trembling in her hands, Tenten took the canteen and dumped enough water into the pot to make a proper broth. Damn it all… why could she have the steadiest hand with a kunai but the minute Neji came around she started shaking like a kitten caught in the rain? It was _so_ not cool! "Soup. All we've got are dried goods," she said, speaking a little too quickly and unable to stop herself from doing it. "You know, mushrooms and carrots and… stuff." She ducked her head to hide her wince. Mushrooms and carrots and stuff? Ugh! Why was she talking about soup when it was obvious he didn't give a damn?

"Hn," was all Neji said as he wandered away back to the river again. Tenten let out the breath that had gotten stuck in her chest as a flood of warmth spread downward into her stomach. On the one hand, it was awesome that Neji even spoke to her. He usually wasn't one to seek out conversation, so it made her feel a little special whenever he did. On the other hand… when the conversation consisted of him asking a question and her giving a totally stupid answer, it wasn't so awesome anymore.

Sighing, Tenten shook her head and dumped in the dried soup packets to mix with the seaweed. She glanced over her shoulder again to make certain Gai and Lee weren't watching before she reached into her bag and pulled out a small container of diced, dried garlic. Those two hated garlic, but she knew for a fact Neji liked it. Besides, the soup would be completely bland without the garlic to give it a kick. If she'd had red pepper flakes, she would have added those as well. But… she didn't. She'd been in a rush to meet up with her teammates and had literally just grabbed whatever was quick and handy to pack. She was sort of mad at herself for forgetting to pack them. The heat always made Lee's eyes well up, which was pretty amusing.

She fixed the pot over the fire so that it was just close enough to simmer and stood up, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back. The movement caused her shirt to ride up and expose her stomach, but she didn't care. Her mom had always said she acted more like a son than a daughter. Where most of the girls she knew had played with dolls, she'd played with shuriken and wrestled with the boys in the mud. It annoyed her mom that every formal kimono she'd ever had ultimately ended up with dirt all over it, but she couldn't help it. Boys were more fun than girls.

Tenten kicked her legs up one at a time and grabbed her ankles, stretching out the muscles in her thighs and calves while watching her two teammates train out of the corner of her eye. The one good thing about this whole crazy scheme was that if anyone could succeed in pickpocketing Copy Ninja Kakashi's beloved books it would be Lee. Once he got it in his head he could do something, it would take beating him unconscious to convince him otherwise. That was one thing she _really_ liked about her eccentric teammate; Lee never gave up. He didn't know it, but his example was why she wasn't giving up on Neji just yet. She wasn't going to give up until _she_ was knocked out… or until he showed interest in another person. Then she'd go and knock that other person flat on their ass. Hey, it wasn't the most mature plan but it'd sure make her feel better in the end!

Smiling as Gai spun around almost faster than she could follow and landed a sharp slap to Lee's hand, Tenten began to wander down to the river as well in hopes of maybe trying that conversation with Neji again. She chuckled as Lee let out a sharp yelp that was drowned out by Gai lecturing him to get faster and stop being careless with his fingers. Wow… If Lee got careless with his fingers on Kakashi's ass while stealing _Icha Icha_, he'd be lucky to find himself in the hospital. And not necessarily due to Kakashi himself. She knew plenty of kunoichi who were crazy enough for the masked man to put someone in a hospital for touching his ass.

Tenten winced as another loud crack came from the training duo, followed by the order to get faster and the response of, "Yes, sensei!" As she got down to the edge of the wide, shallow river she began to scan the area for where Neji had disappeared to. Oh… what if he was taking a bath? Just thinking about him soaking wet was enough to make her mouth water. Fortunately for her, her over active imagination didn't have a chance to finish the little fantasy it had started. She spotted him sitting on a portion of the bank that jutted out into the water and quickly made her way over to him with a smile. He was fully clothed and watching her with almost detached interest as she approached him. Damn.

"Just wanted to let you know dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes," she called cheerfully, her breath catching as she met his gaze steadily. A lot of people thought the pale eyes of the Hyuuga clan were creepy, but she rather liked them herself. Maybe it was because she worked closely with one that made her see them as pretty. Or maybe it was just the fact that she thought everything about Neji was pretty. Either way, whenever that pale, opalescent gaze landed on her, it made that tingly feeling start in the pit of her stomach. It also made her mouth go insanely dry, which wasn't a reaction she was too fond of.

All she got in response was a little hum of affirmation but he didn't back away or question her as she took a seat on the grass next to him. A tree growing just at their backs provided shade from the setting sun, which was tinting the river a bright pinkish-orange color. Tenten sighed and leaned back on her arms, stretching her legs out and crossing them at the ankles. Neither of them said a word, but it definitely wasn't an awkward silence. Neji was one of those people who didn't say a lot but whatever he said was pure gold. His quiet presence was _extremely_ appreciated, especially when the other two members of their team had a tendency to get pretty loud.

Still… She wanted to say _something_ to him. After all, wasn't Ino always saying that in order to get a guy it was necessary to talk to them? She knew she could talk. She could almost talk as fast as Ino when she was in the mood. But this was Neji she was trying to talk to and the words just wouldn't come out with him sitting next to her. At least not without some major effort and concentration on her part, that is.

It was a weird feeling to be tongue-tied. Usually, she said what she wanted to say, regardless of what other people might think. Her mom always complained she was too direct. She liked to think of it as being honest, but direct wasn't bad either. Neji robbed her of the ability to be direct. It was a combination of that and the fact that he detested girls who flung themselves at him that had kept her from telling him she liked him in the more than friendly sense a long time ago. She glanced over her shoulder at Lee and Gai again, sucking her lower lip between her teeth thoughtfully.

Why not just do it? Neji appreciated it when someone got straight to the point anyway. Besides, if Lee was willing to gank porn off of Konoha's number one ninja, the least _she_ could do is let Neji know she liked him. Right? She glanced at Neji's profile out of the corner of her eye, watching him as he studied the river flowing by. Clearing her throat and swallowing past the nervous lump, she said quietly, "Neji, I like you."

Neji blinked slowly before turning to look at her with a confused expression on his face. "Pardon me?" he asked, using the same dispassionate tone he would have if he'd been inquiring about the zit on her cheek.

Tenten swallowed hard again and continued a little louder and with more certainty, "I like you, Neji. As in, I'd like to go out with you sometime. That type of like."

His response was both typical Hyuuga and frustrating at the same time. "Oh."

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Tenten grinned and nudged him lightly with her elbow. It wasn't hard to force herself to be cheerful about it. She'd sort of known before hand Neji would react the way he had, and honestly… she was okay with it. Or, at least she'd tell herself she was until it was actually true. "I'll take that as a 'Thanks, that's really nice but I'm not interested' then. Don't worry, this won't get in the way of our sparring or anything." Acting on impulse, she moved in to kiss his cheek.

Except that, intentionally or not, he turned to her at the exact same time. Their lips met and Tenten's eyes flew open to meet his own surprised gaze. It only lasted for maybe a second before she quickly pulled away, her cheeks practically on fire. "S-Sorry," she mumbled as she pushed swiftly to her feet. "I was aiming for your cheek and you, ah… Yeah, sorry."

Whatever Neji would have said never even left his mouth as she hurried back to check on her soup. She didn't even look over her shoulder to see if he was watching her and silently called herself every name she could think of for being so stupid. Damn it, she should have just left it alone! And what the _hell_ had she been thinking, kissing him with Gai less than fifty feet away? The Green Beast would have had a field day with that one, spouting off about love and youth and beauty and… Yeah, she was stupid. She was stupid and she liked Hyuuga Neji.

Dinner came and went pretty much as usual. Gai and Lee were boisterous and complimentary of her cooking (except for the garlic), Neji sat quietly to himself and only spoke up to ask for seconds (which happened shortly after the complaints of the garlic) while Tenten teased and joked with her friends about them taking up cooking if they didn't like the meal. After the soup was gone and the sleeping bags broken out, Neji and Lee gathered the dishes to wash down at the river. Tenten was just digging out her toothbrush to take care of her garlic breath when Neji came over to collect the bowl on the ground next to her.

"I like you, too," he muttered, grabbing the bowl and moving away before the words could fully sink in. Tenten's jaw dropped as she slowly turned to follow the genius on his way to the river. No way… She shook her head, convinced she'd been hearing things. He didn't just say… he liked her, _too_? When Neji sent a subtle glance over his shoulder at her, she knew she'd heard him correctly. Hyuuga Neji had just said he liked her, too.

Tenten broke out into a wide, happy grin as she silently thanked Lee for kicking her ass into gear.

* * *

"Okay, so tell me about this date," Ino demanded as she brought two bowls of steaming noodles and vegetables out from the kitchen. She took a seat on the couch, being mindful of where Sakura's legs were, and swung her own feet up to rest near her roommate's hip. "All I know is that it must have been fun because you weren't here when I left this morning, and that you didn't stay all night digging his grave because I saw him leaving. So… fill me in! What happened?"

Grinning as she slurped in a mouthful of noodles, Sakura chewed the hot food as quickly as she could, reaching immediately for her glass of water on the table to quell some of the burning in her mouth. "Wow, that's hot!"

"Duh, Forehead, I just took it off the freakin' stove! Now… date! Details! You two were gone since yesterday afternoon!" Ino dug her toes into Sakura's side, causing the other girl to squirm away from them sharply.

"Stop it, Ino! I don't wanna wear this stuff," Sakura laughed, grabbing Ino's foot with one hand while carefully balancing her dinner with the other.

Ino relented, grinning as she resettled herself on the couch and snatched a vegetable up with her chopsticks. "Then stop stalling and _tell me_! It's been so damn long since I've had a date that I've almost forgotten what they are!"

Snickering at her friend's lack of love life, Sakura tugged a pillow out from behind her back and placed it over her stomach. She settled her bowl on top of the pillow and twirled her chopsticks around to gather some more noodles. "Well… he was late. He didn't show up until almost one, which was _really_ annoying, but he came with tea and a chocolate pastry."

"Smart man," Ino interrupted with an approving nod.

"And then he acted all irritating and stuff, which reminds me… Don't go leaving your laundry out in the open, Pig. You know Kakashi-sensei can spot a pair of panties from a mile away."

Ino's blue eyes twinkled mischievously as she bit into a piece of mushroom. "Not my problem your _boyfriend_ likes my underwear more than yours."

"First of all, he's _not_ my boyfriend. Second of all, how could he not notice those things when you leave them out in the freakin' open?"

"Fine, fine! I'll double check that laundry isn't left out, now will you _please_ get back to the date?"

Pinning her roommate with one final scowl, Sakura huffed and continued recounting the events of yesterday. "So, he shows up, brings chocolate and _then_ decides to drop it on me that I need to change out of the dress because what we're doing involves getting dirty."

Ino rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stabbed a piece of broccoli with unnecessary violence. "You know, I don't care how nice his ass looks. I couldn't put up with that and frankly I think you should seriously consider what I'd said before about getting more out of this from Tsunade. First of all, this is making it look like you're off the market, which is killing any chances of a _real_ love life for you for the next six months. Second, just putting up with him alone sounds like it's worth at _least_ an extra week's worth of vacation time!"

Sakura smiled and waved her chopsticks at the blonde sitting across from her. "That's not a bad idea, Ino. An extra week of vacation during the summer… That'd be nice. Okay, so anyway the reason he told me to change is because we were hiking."

"… For your date?"

"Uh-uh. _To_ our date. Three miles. Oh, and the bastard let me think I was racing his dogs for the date."

"… He brought the dogs?"

Sakura nodded and finished swallowing her noodles. "Yup," she confirmed. "He brought along four of the dogs for training purposes during the hike."

"I know you're not really dating him or anything… but I seriously wanna cause some bodily harm right now. What the _hell_ was he thinking?"

"Wait, wait! Lemme finish telling you what happened before you rush off to pulverize him," Sakura giggled as she placed her now empty bowl on the table next to her. "So, he brought four of the dogs along, which really wasn't bad. The white one, Jubei, he was actually really sweet and cute. Anyway, during our supposed hike up the biggest damn hill in all of Fire Country, he tells me, 'oh, this isn't a race. I can't believe you actually fell for that.'"

"And then… you kicked his ass and had to take him to the hospital for severe internal bleeding?"

"No… I didn't. It was tempting, but I didn't. He did say he'd never stoop that low."

"Did he apologize?"

"Um… no, not that I recall." Sakura paused, her lips twisting thoughtfully as she replayed the events. "Come to think of it… I don't know _why_ I didn't kick his ass. And I don't really know why I didn't stay angry with him after that. Maybe it's because he gives really nice hugs…"

Ino groaned and slapped a hand over her eyes irritably. "You got distracted by a stupid hug? Sakura…"

Blushing deep red, Sakura purposely dug her toes into Ino's hip and muttered, "Well, he does. I can't help it if he's insanely talented at hugging people."

Flinching as she squirmed away from Sakura's feet, Ino stretched out and set her now empty bowl aside as well before grabbing a pillow to hug across her stomach. "Alright, ignoring the fact that you let him slide on being an asshole, what else happened?"

Scowling at the blonde across from her, Sakura curled her knees around the pillow she was holding and shrugged. "After that, we got to the date spot and… it was actually really amazing. See, it was a sort of dinner and movie date, except it was at this really gorgeous location right next to a pond. And he made dinner while I got to relax and we watched a movie on the projector from the Academy, which his friend _better_ have returned or I'm gonna tell Iruka-sensei exactly who stole it to begin with. After that, we just… fell asleep in the hammock."

Judging by the little wistful sound and bright eyes Ino gave her, her roommate thought it'd been pretty romantic, too. Sighing heavily, Ino said in a soft voice, "That is just… Wow. Who knew Kakashi-sensei had it in him? I mean… Can I _please_ have a go at him when you're done?"

Snorting and landing a kick to Ino's thigh, Sakura growled, "Hell, no! I already told you, you're not allowed to do _anything_ with my teacher! No flirting, no talking, no undressing him with your beady pig eyes… nothing!"

"Well, well, look who's suddenly the jealous girlfriend," Ino fired back as she jumped up from the couch and lobbed her pillow directly into Sakura's face. Ignoring the surprised squawk from her roommate, she scooped up their empty bowls and stomped off for the kitchen. "If I didn't know any better, Forehead, I'd say _you're_ the one falling here."

"Shut up, I am not! And didn't you say it's okay to enjoy myself a little?" Sakura shouted back.

"Yeah, a little! I never said anything about turning into a raging, territorial bitch!"

"There's no way in hell I'd ever turn into you, Pig!"

Ino laughed harshly as she rinsed out their bowls and left them in the sink for the next morning. "Did you at least see his face this time? I mean, you had dinner with him, right? He didn't make you sit behind a curtain or anything, did he?" she demanded mockingly as she entered the living room once again.

Letting out a frustrated growl, Sakura stood up and stormed off toward her bedroom. "I don't know why I even bother talking to you, Yamanaka Ino!"

"Probably because you don't have any other friends _but_ me who'd listen to you complain," Ino called out just as her door slammed shut. Grinning, Ino shook her head and made for her own bed. Sakura was such a freakin' mess! Still… It wouldn't be fun if Sakura remained mad at her. She knocked softly on Sakura's door before opening it just enough to poke her head in and say, "I _was_ gonna say, prior to your temper tantrum, that I'm really shocked how far you've come with this, Forehead. If Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's laziest ninja, is going so far to impress you… I'd say you've got him in the bag."

Sakura rolled over in her bed and glares suspiciously at Ino. "You really mean that?" she mumbled. "You're not just saying that so I don't take your name off the lease?"

Ino shook her head and smiled at her friend. "Nope. Never thought you had it in you… but apparently you do. G'night!"

"'Night, Pig. You're still an awful friend though."

"Whatever."

* * *

Kakashi sighed wearily as he dropped gratefully to the ground underneath one of the enormous oak trees that was serving as shelter for the evening. After traveling all day and making very slow progress due to the size of the group, Kakashi had finally called for a halt. All of the servants for Lord Tsuigetsu had looked exhausted beyond belief and all too eager to break out the necessary items to make camp.

This was the first real chance he'd had to take a break all day himself. Lord Tsuigetsu hadn't been happy to learn that he and his immediate following were not going to be personally guarded by the Copy Ninja of Konoha. After insulting Kotetsu to the point where the very diplomatic man was getting frustrated, Kakashi had explained to him it was better to have the strongest toward the front to stem off a possible attack before it could get toward the people of importance. The client had bought it without much of a fuss and had thankfully laid off of Kotetsu for the rest of the day.

After that, Lord Tsuigetsu had stated that having the ninken mingle around was making his wife unduly nervous. If she was, it didn't show on her down turned face. It had taken nearly twenty minutes to convince him it was necessary for the dogs to be present. A compromise had been reached in which Kakashi shuffled the dogs around so that Jubei, Pakkun and Yaku, the three smallest and least intimidating dogs he had, were assigned to helping Kotetsu guard the noble family.

All in all, he was marking down the days when they could hand Lord Tsuigetsu over to the Grass Nin and head home. He knew the value in patience but even he had his limits. Anko, who had been lucky enough to be so far back from the group that she was left in relative peace, was now taking first watch to allow himself and Kotetsu some small measure of peace. Kotetsu had volunteered to take the second watch, which meant Kakashi had the longest to sleep. Not that more time to sleep meant he would relax at all. To relax on a mission was to invite for trouble.

Rubbing his stiff neck to ease the cramping, Kakashi glanced at the small, furry lump that made its way over to him. Pakkun looked completely worn out, which was really saying something since the dog always looked ready to fall asleep at any minute. Grunting, the dog lay down and plopped his small head on Kakashi's thigh. "I got stepped on sixteen times today," he complained gruffly. "And if one more person says I'm a 'kyoot widdle dawgy', I'm markin' their legs."

Kakashi made a pitying sound and scratched the pug's wrinkled neck sympathetically. "Bite them next time. Not only will they keep an eye out for you but it'll kill any rumors about you being cute as well."

"Even though they'll yell at you for it?"

"The least I can do to make up for you being stepped on and talked to like a baby."

Pakkun grunted, which for him meant he was laughing. Blowing out a long breath and snuggling up closer to Kakashi's hip, the small dog mumbled, "So, wanna know the outcome of last night?"

"Only if you're in the mood to share," Kakashi murmured back as he closed his eye and tilted his head back against the tree. To be honest, the anticipation as to what the ninken had uncovered about Sakura's motives had been in the back of his mind all day. He _was_ curious to see what they thought of the situation, but he wasn't going to press Pakkun for the information if the little guy was tired. There was nothing worse than having to deal with a cranky pug.

After several moments where neither of them said anything and during which Kakashi continued to rub the dog's neck and shoulders soothingly, Pakkun finally said, "It's a mixed bag."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning… we don't have a definite answer. Bull says she's after the book, I'm leaning toward the mask. Yaku says he was asleep and doesn't care either way. And all Jubei'll say is that Sakura-chan's a really nice person and he wants to see her again."

If his eyes weren't closed, he would have rolled them at the last. Kakashi shook his head slightly and muttered, "Well, those last two opinions were next to useless. Why do I get the feeling the four of you are conspiring against me?"

"Because you're paranoid delusional," Pakkun snorted sarcastically.

"Are you certain that's all of it? Because if I find out you kept something from me…" Kakashi jerked his hand back when Pakkun gave him a less-than-gentle nip on the wrist. "Hey!"

"I'm gonna be straight with you," the unrepentant pug said sharply. "Personally, I think that girl's good for you. The only reason I was even lookin' for something in the first place is 'cause you asked me to. Otherwise… I'd say just forget whatever it is and enjoy what ya've got with her. 'Cause she's a good thing and you'd be stupid to pass it up."

Frowning as he rubbed his bruised hand, Kakashi gave Pakkun a hard look and replied, "Sakura _is_ a good thing… for someone else. Don't get any ideas this means anything for either of us, Pakkun. She's using me and I'm teaching her a lesson that's normally learned the hard way. That's it."

Pakkun's eyes narrowed as he held Kakashi's gaze unwavering for several seconds. Then, with a snort that sounded oddly disbelieving, he settled his head on Kakashi's thigh once more and mumbled, "Sure thing, Kakashi. So, what's the next step?"

"The next step… is a mystery. It's her move, so we'll see what comes of it," he answered as he resumed petting the drowsy dog on his lap. It was disappointing that the ninken hadn't turned up anything more concrete, but he had a sneaky suspicion that something wasn't entirely right about Pakkun's report. He knew that dog better than he knew most people, so it wasn't hard to tell when something was up. Why Pakkun would lie about Sakura's motives though… That was the odd part.

Oh, well. There wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. Pakkun wasn't changing his story and he knew without asking that the other three would say exactly the same as their pug leader. So… He simply had to survive the next ten days or so and see what Sakura had in store for him.


	11. What Do They Know?

**Shout out and thanks to Jiraiyasgirl for the marvelous fan art… as well as that shower pic of Kakashi. Good LORD, is that drool-worthy! Be sure to check both pieces out at her deviantart account!**

* * *

It had taken a lot longer than Kakashi had estimated, but after nearly eleven days of steady traveling they were almost there. If he'd had his way, they would have pushed straight through the last few miles and gotten it over with… but Lord Tsuigetsu insisted on taking one last break before meeting up with the waiting Grass Ninja. At first, Kakashi was reluctant to allow this, seeing as they were only about a mile away from the border, but he changed his mind after taking in all the exhausted faces watching him, all of them pleading silently for a quick pit stop. He challenged anyone to resist forty pairs of puppy eyes directed on them all at one time.

Kakashi remained standing near the front of the group, _Icha Icha _in hand while the servants talked softly from where they sat. A few people were moving through the group, offering water and snacks as they went. The atmosphere was relaxed, the fact that they were almost to the relative safety of Grass country causing this false sense of calm. It didn't seem to matter that Grass Country wasn't their final destination. They were just happy that the first leg of their journey was almost over.

Glancing around, he caught sight of Anko showing off her shuriken to some of the children traveling with their parents, earning her quiet 'wows' and 'oh, cools' from the boys and little surprised squeaks from the girls. Kotetsu was stationed directly next to Lord Tsuigetsu and his wife, his body tense and face set grimly. Whether the obvious discomfort was because Lord Tsuigetsu was pestering him about being diligent or because he _was_ doing just that was anyone's guess. Kakashi flipped to the next page in his book, not at all remorseful that he'd stuck the chuunin on personal guard duty. At least he didn't have to worry about Kotetsu beating their client to a pulp, unlike a certain missing student of his.

It was incredibly hot today, especially for the area being well into the fall months. The sun beat down overhead, mercilessly hot without a sign of clouds to help provide a little reprieve. Kakashi could feel the sweat sticking against his mask and was half tempted just to pull it down for a quick breather. It certainly wasn't helping things that there were absolutely none of Konoha's familiar trees around any longer. As they'd gotten closer and closer to Grass, the forests had dwindled down until it was nothing but tall, flat grasslands with the occasional scrawny tree peaking up against a sky that was nearly white in color. There was absolutely no protection from sun out here, and several people were showing the results of that on their bare shoulder and faces.

He'd always been a little reluctant to accept missions taking him into Grass just because of the scenery. It all looked the same; some shade of brown, pale green, grey or dull white. Nothing to see for miles except overgrown weeds, and the smell of grasses always made him want to sneeze. By definition, it wasn't a wasteland… but it seriously ranked a close second after Wind country as being Most Boring Scenery In Existence.

But there was no reason to think gloomy thoughts. Just one more mile and then they could say goodbye to the client and hurry back home, where it was nice and cool under thick trees and there was always something interesting to look at. Such as a certain pink-haired chuunin's legs.

Damn it… Kakashi let out a low, irritated puff of breath and frowned. Thoughts of Sakura had plagued him for the last eleven days, not including the one night where he'd actually dreamed about her. As far as he was concerned, the dream didn't count anyway. For some reason, it had involved a platypus… a purple one at that. What could he say? His subconscious was a strange place.

Really odd dreams involving a purple marsupial aside, constantly having his thoughts turn back to Sakura had not only provided some much needed distraction from the boring scenery but it was also every bit as irritating as he'd known it would be. He kept replaying everything from their last date over and over again, trying to see if perhaps he'd missed some vital clue. After eleven days of thinking it through… nothing except he now couldn't decide if it was more fun pissing her off or making her blush. It had been a frustrating eleven days, that was for sure. She hadn't been this annoying since she'd been a boy-crazed genin under his tutelage.

Though, in all fairness to Sakura, it wasn't entirely her fault. After all, she couldn't control what his subconscious decided to dwell upon. And in his defense… How could he _not_ think about her? She was certainly hard to forget about, and not just because she was easy on the eyes or a pretty good kisser. That last kiss especially… He'd known she was a feisty girl, but this was the second time she'd literally grabbed him and kissed him. While not at all unpleasant (he did like his women with a bit of spunk in them), it _was_ a little embarrassing someone fourteen years his junior was proving more dominant in a romantic sense. Well, he'd just have to do something about that when he got back. After all, he had promised her a date somewhere nice to make up for the hiking portion of their last date.

Speaking of their last date though… His latest plan involving the ninken had backfired abysmally. He couldn't prove it, but Kakashi was almost positive Sakura had swayed his dogs somehow. It was a gut feeling and he'd learned long ago to listen when it said something wasn't right. This time, it was saying his dogs had mutinied in favor of a petite, pink-haired girl with a freakish amount of charm. Traitors… He had to hand it to Sakura though; she'd even managed to convince Pakkun to side with her. She was either _much_ better than he'd anticipated or just insanely lucky. At this point in the game, he was beginning to think it was the former.

Well, whatever she'd done to convince them had worked. And if those mutts thought he was letting them sleep on the couch after this they were sorely mistaken. Hopefully, a pretty girl feeding them mochi (he'd already reminded Jubei that begging for food was _not_ acceptable conduct) was worth the discomfort of sleeping outside.

Seeing as the canine perspective had bombed completely, maybe a new tactic was in order. Maybe instead of focusing on _both_ of Sakura's potential targets he should just pick one and run with it. It was a fifty-fifty chance that he'd be correct anyway. Even if he was wrong, at least he'd know for certain it was the other one. And once _that_ mystery was solved… he would track down whoever talked her into doing this in the first place. Yes… This was a good plan. It wasn't completely ideal but it was certainly his best bet for the time being. Now the question was; which did he go with, the mask or the book?

On the one hand, with the way she'd been trying to get him to kiss her without the mask he was inclined to think that was the one. However… she _was_ trying to seduce him. That meant she would want to establish a more intimate connection between them as soon as possible, so it made sense from that stand point that she'd want a mask-less kiss.

Then again… she was also proving to be a bit cleverer than he'd thought, especially seeing as she'd conned the ninken into going along with her plan. She could be using the mask as a decoy in order to get to his book. It was a smart move… _if_ that was what she was doing. After all, she hadn't gone for the book he'd borrowed from Ino, otherwise the Henge no Jutsu would have been broken.

Sighing heavily, Kakashi closed his book and tucked it under one arm as he dug out a worn coin from inside his pocket. A quick toss would decide which he angle he would work from. Heads, he'd operate like she was after the book. Tails, and it'd be the mask. Balancing the coin against his finger and thumb, Kakashi flipped it into the air, the metal making a sharp _ping_ against his thumbnail as it was sent airborne. He watched the dulled copper disc flip end over end in the air, tracking the movement as he stretched out his palm to catch it.

A hand appeared out from nowhere and snatched the coin in one violent swipe, leaving him staring at his empty palm blankly. Slowly, he directed his gaze over at the owner of that hand, who was snickering as she flipped the coin neatly back and forth over her fingers. "Whatcha doing, sempai?" Anko mocked, completely unaware that he was frowning at her.

"Thinking," he replied as he opened his book once again, hoping she'd take the hint that he wasn't about to entertain her like she was a kid. Anko had made it very clear during the course of the mission that she was bored to tears.

All of them had suspected that something wasn't quite right with the request for an elite escort for a mission that was at best a B-rank, but other than a fox that had snuck into their camp a few nights ago everything had been nice and quiet. Well… as quiet as they could be with a bored kunoichi to deal with. Anko had been growing increasingly antsy with the lack of action and apparently the best way to take that out was by tormenting her teammates. Usually, Kotetsu was her preferred target since Kakashi had perfected the art of ignoring the annoying, but it seemed this time the chuunin was successful in hiding from her.

"Thinking about… what?" Anko pressed as she continued to idly flip his coin back and forth over her knuckles.

"Whether I should switch from boxer briefs to boxers."

Anko snorted and flicked the coin up into the air. She fisted it in mid-air, wrapping her fingers so tightly around it that her fingers whitened. "And that required a coin toss?"

Kakashi shrugged, unperturbed that she wasn't taking the hint he wasn't game. "It's a tough decision. Boxers, though comfortable, tend to let things swing a bit more freely than a shinobi should allow. However, boxer briefs have a nasty habit of riding up, which isn't exactly a comfortable thing. What you do you think?"

"I think you're full of shit. I also think I don't wanna know about anything going on in your pants," she retorted. Then, as if she'd just remembered something delightful, a beaming smile spread across her face as she drawled coyly, "Speaking of things in your pants…"

Oh, god.

"… What's this I hear about you and the Hokage's apprentice?"

Oh, good. Relieved she wasn't going to make a comment about his southern bits, Kakashi turned a page and answered, "I don't know what you've heard, Anko, so I can't tell you."

Anko shoved his shoulder roughly, which finally earned her a reaction in the form of a mild glare. "Don't play dumb with me, Hatake! Are you off the meat market or not?"

"Is _that_ what it's called nowadays? That's disturbing."

Growling in frustration, Anko tapped a finger on the upper edge of _Icha Icha_ and forced it downward in an attempt to look him in the eye. Kakashi didn't humor her, opting instead to follow the text rather than meet her gaze. "Fine," she huffed. "Meat market's too butch for you? Wanna braid hair and share secrets next?"

"I don't think either of our hair styles are good for braiding, and secrets aren't really supposed to be shared."

She let out a long, low breath that bordered close to an exacerbated groan. "Okay… fine. Hatake Kakashi, are you fucking the Hokage's apprentice?"

"No." And he had no intention to either. This was all about educating Sakura in the dangers of trying to seduce someone. He'd rather she learn it through someone she knew than being tossed head first into a mission that was completely beyond her ability to handle.

Missions that involved seduction were the most dangerous in his opinion. There was greater room for mistakes, a higher risk factor for everyone involved and there was almost _always_ some sort of emotional complication. If the target was particularly vile or sadistic, the ninja assigned usually left with some sort of mental scar that carried over into their everyday life. But, if the target was actually rather nice and a decent sort of person… it hurt more than it normally did to stab them in the back. That was why he'd decided to play along with Sakura's game rather than ask her point-blank what she was after. This was a much safer setting for her to learn in rather than out in the field where people depended on her.

"_Now_ we're getting somewhere," Anko declared as she planted her hands on her hips and leaned closer toward him. "So, you're not fucking her. Does this mean the rumors that you're actually _dating_ her are true?" The way she asked it sounded as if it was the most shocking thing she'd heard in a long time.

Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh and murmured, "We'll be moving soon, so I'd suggest returning to your post."

"I'll take that as a yes then," she smirked. "Kakashi, the Cradle Robber of Konoha! Ha!" Her laughter was loud and mocking as she flipped the coin back to him and began walking toward the back once again. Kakashi caught the coin and jammed it into his pocket. It was a good thing she hadn't tried to keep it. That was the only coin he had and he needed it later to finish his coin toss.

Sighing and shaking his head at the eccentric woman, Kakashi went back to finishing up the last page he'd be able to read for a little while. The Cradle Robber of Konoha… He couldn't wait for _that_ title to get entered in the Bingo Books. Closing _Icha Icha, _Kakashi placed it in the pouch on his belt and did a quick scan of the group. He frowned when he noticed a couple mothers shooting nervous glances at him as they ushered their young daughters away from his general area. Apparently, they'd overheard Anko's comment and were now afraid he was going to ravish their little ones. How lovely.

As if putting his book away was the signal they'd been waiting for, the servants began getting to their feet and preparing to move once again. Kakashi caught Kotetsu's eye and nodded once toward the younger man to let him know they were leaving. Kotetsu nodded back before turning to inform a rather irritated looking lord what was going on. Obviously, Tsuigetsu wasn't quite ready to leave… but they were already several days late in meeting up with the waiting Grass Ninja. Much longer and there could be political ramifications from the delay.

A bird zipped by overhead, flying rather low and close to the noisy group. There was nothing really extraordinary about its plain brown coloring but when it let out a sweet trilling sound it caused everyone to take notice. The servants smiled and pointed it out to their children before it quickly disappeared against the horizon line.

Kakashi adjusted his pack casually while tracking the bird's path. If he wasn't mistaken that had been an uguisu, a bush warbler. Strange… typically, they preferred heavily covered areas like Konoha's forests over the wide open grass lands. They weren't seen too often, even in their preferred environment, but their song was very unique and always a welcomed thing. It was often said the uguisu's song was the herald of spring… Except… this was fall. Why in the world would a spring bird that stayed hidden in the brush be out in the open during fall? Unless…

Eyes narrowing, Kakashi scanned the wide, flat expanse of grass carefully. No other sounds could be heard, not even the creaking of insects. The only noises came from the rustling of grass as it caught in a faint breeze and the typical sounds of a large group making ready to move. But everything else was entirely still…

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, he glanced back over his shoulder to his other two teammates. Kotetsu was standing next to the client and his wife, his hands tucked in his pockets as he too stared warily across the plain. Anko was very casually steering the boys that seemed to have adopted her toward their parents, all while still laughing and talking loudly. Apparently, they'd noticed it, too. Excellent. He hated having to explain things.

Knowing that his teammates were watching him closely, Kakashi started slowly walking off toward the right, heading for a small hill that was a suitable distance from the group. The servants standing nearby looked up, frowning in confusion over his change in direction. "Hatake-san, shouldn't we be going _that_ way?" one of the men asked as he pointed directly ahead of them.

Flashing the man a happy look over his shoulder, Kakashi replied, "Sorry, call of nature. Be right back!" With that, he disappeared around the other side of the hill.

* * *

This was gonna be so freakin' easy! Saniiro Renzo grinned as he slipped through the grass smoothly, circling around the front to follow after the white haired ninja that had moved off away from the group. His people had been observing the travel party for a few days now, trying to get a feel for their movements in preparation of a raid. They were short on money and a few of his men were a little anxious for some… softer company.

This group was prime for pillaging; a whole mess of servants, a few nobles who looked as if they'd never seen outside their fancy house and only three ninja guarding them. Seriously… only _three_? He may have dropped out of the program after failing the jounin exams three times in a row, but even _he_ knew that it took more than three people to guard a group of forty people. Those Leaf Nins were severely understaffed for this mission and he was going to take full advantage of that.

He flicked his hand to the right, signaling for his second to break off and hedge in their quarry. Mizuru flashed by him, his face much paler than usual and looking as if he was just barely holding the puke back. He'd said something last night about how he thought one of the ninja his pet song bird had been observing was _the_ Copy Ninja Kakashi… but that was complete bullshit. Why the fuck would Hidden Leaf put their best shinobi on some stupid little escort job? And even if it was… Renzo wasn't very impressed. The guy was fucking _reading_, for god's sake! Apparently, they let just anyone pass the jounin exams in Konoha. Hn, maybe he should have defected there then.

Renzo waited until Mizuru was completely out of sight before signaling for Daizhou to break left with Akemi. The plan was simple; he'd make the initial attack, getting the ninja's attention while Mizuru moved in from the side. Mizuru would serve as yet another break in concentration while Daizhou and Akemi took him out from behind. Was it overkill to send four guys out after one man? Maybe… But on the off chance that Mizuru was right and this _was_ the Copy Ninja, he wasn't taking any chances.

They were approaching the hill now that the ninja had moved behind. Adrenaline sent a fresh burst of energy and speed through his system, making his chest tight with eager anticipation as he drew a kunai in each hand. Sweat slipped down his spine along with a shudder of pleasure. It'd been so long since he'd felt the thrill of combat! He crested the hill and leapt into the air directly over his target, aiming to take the man out in the neck or shoulder blades. The stupid bastard was too busy taking a piss to realize he was about to die. Ha!

His grin widened as the ninja finally realized something was up and looked over his shoulder. A solitary eye widened in shock just as Renzo dropped down and jammed both kunai into the other man's throat, jerking his hands outward to rip the tender flesh beyond any hopes of salvation. He heard the surprised gurgle from his victim as blood began to gush into his open throat, effectively choking him with his own fluids. It was a sound he hadn't heard in months, not since that last raid job they'd done on some village in Grass. He'd missed it.

He rode the body down to the ground, raising his kunai high to deal another blow. He didn't have to, the guy was already as good as dead… but he wanted to. Laughing, Renzo's hand slashed downward toward the man's chest…

And met with nothing but dirt and smoke. What the… Renzo coughed roughly as the smoke dissipated, his eyes narrowed and glaring angrily at where his kunai sprouted from the dirt. A Bunshin no Jutsu, a basic clone jutsu that just about every genin worth their salt could pull off. His freakin' target would _insult_ him by using that… wait… Renzo froze, his outrage over such a simple technique being used on him fading as he realized something much more important; his target wasn't there. The fact that the other ninja had used a clone meant he'd known Renzo and his squad were out there, which also meant... That fucking ninja was reversing their ambush! _Shit!_

Renzo spun around again, his mouth opening to shout a warning to his comrades when a horrible noise broke out from the grass surrounding him. He recognized Mizuru's voice, despite the fact that the man was screaming louder than he'd thought any human could. He could hear Daizhou and Akemi screaming as well, but what was worse than that was the snarling. Angry, fierce growls and snapping sounds, like a pack of dogs fighting over an old bone.

A choked gasp broke from his dry, parted lips as ferocious barks rang out from the violently swaying grass. Occasionally, someone's foot or hand would flop out from the tall grass, only to disappear seconds later with another blood-chilling scream of pain. Renzo could hardly breathe as a chill ran across the entirety of his skin. What the… What the fuck was going on?

He fell onto his ass and scrambled back toward the hill, breathing hard while his heart pounded heavily in his chest. Flecks of blood arched up from the grass in random spurts. The screams were now becoming grunts, the snarls dying down to low, angry purrs of sound. Whatever was happening in the grass was almost over, and it looked as if his comrades were on the losing side of things. Renzo gulped heavily and continued pushing backward through the grass. He wasn't sticking around for the creatures to get him, no way in hell!

He had only scuttled back a few feet when he bumped into something solid and froze, terrified. His throat was so tight that his scream only came out as a pathetic whimper when cool metal slid menacingly close to the throbbing carotid artery in his throat. "Don't move," a low, cold voice whispered near his ear.

He didn't need the icy words; he was too paralyzed by fear to move. A sick feeling settled in his gut and he realized frighteningly that he was just one slice away from death. It was something he'd never experienced before, and he didn't like it one bit. He couldn't believe he'd been taken out by a simple genin trick and was now about to die in a field, surrounded by faceless monsters and dead comrades. Renzo closed his eyes and did something he hadn't done in a very long time; he prayed.

* * *

Bidou watched as Renzo and his team rushed off to take care of the shinobi who had broken away from the group. If that really was the famous Copy Ninja, he was glad it was Renzo's group going after him and not his. He'd heard stories about the man who had copied over a thousand jutsu… and none of those stories had been told by survivors. No one who saw the Sharingan ever lived to talk about it.

For the sake of his comrades, he truly hoped Mizuru was mistaken. Chances were good that he was too, seeing as he was basing his information off of a glance he'd gotten a few years back at some big shot's Bingo Book. Not to mention, the visual confirmation had been obtained from a small bird, not any first hand contact. Just because the guy had white hair didn't mean he was Hatake Kakashi.

Taking a deep breath and holding it briefly to stead his nerves, Bidou slowly reached back for the ninjaken strapped to his back. Around him, his team reached for their own weapons, all of them tense and ready for him to give the sign. He couldn't see Uzumei or Kaito, the leaders of the third and fourth squads, anywhere in the thick, tall grass but he didn't have to. As soon as he gave the sign to Shuei, his explosives specialist, the other two would know to attack.

Crouching lower into the grass, Bidou dug his boots into the damp earth and released the breath he'd been holding, steadying his nerves. "Shuei," he whispered, giving the command to go. If he stalled any longer, he'd chicken out of it.

He didn't know why he was so uneasy about this particular raid. There were only three ninja guarding almost forty people and one of those ninja was probably already dead now, thanks to Renzo. The guy was needlessly brutal sometimes but he was good at getting the job done quickly. All he and the other two teams had to do was take out the remaining two ninja and any personal guards that were possibly disguised as peasants. It was a simple job… but he still felt like something just wasn't right about it.

The soft _click_ of metal hitting flint came from behind him, followed by the hiss of flame meeting fuse. He heard the faint whistle as a small cluster of explosives was flung toward the group. Bidou gripped his sword harder and closed his eyes tightly as the other man counted down the seconds until detonation under his breath. Four… three…two…

_**BANG!**_

A flash of light burned up the dull grey sky so brightly he could see it behind his closed eyes. Chaos erupted from the target group in front of him, a frenzied blend of screaming voices, wailing children and crashing cargo. The flash bomb had done its job in sending the masses into a panic. Now… to move in and finish the job!

His eyes flew open and he sped forward, whipping his ninjaken out as he raced through the grass toward their targets. His group would take out the kunoichi at the rear while Uzumei's would handle the shinobi standing guard over the nobleman. Kaito's team was to hold back and serve as support if things got out of hand. Hopefully, their bailout services wouldn't be needed, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Bidou wound his way through the hazy smog, keeping low to the grass to further camouflage his movements. He could see the outline of the kunoichi's shape as she shoved a child further into the knot of screaming people behind her. He drew his blade back sharply, his gaze fixed on the back of her neck. She began to pivot around, preparing to fall into a sweeping kick for his legs… but she wouldn't be fast enough. A quick flash of sympathy for her stabbed through him as his blade cut sharply toward her.

That was when he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. Something came flashing out of the grass toward his arm, something that was much too large to be a shuriken and seemed to be alive. Bidou grunted in surprise as the thing coiled around his arm and squeezed, hissing fiercely as its powerful jaws closed over his wrist. He grit his teeth to hold back the pained scream as fangs sank deeply into the softer area just beneath his palm. Those jaws tightened even more as he gave his arm a sharp jerk, trying to shake whatever it was off of him. Bidou glanced down to see what sort of weapon it was and his eyes widened in surprise. What the… a snake?

Just as that thought registered with him, another snake flew upward out of the grass and latched itself to his inner thigh, perilously close to his femoral artery. This time, his scream broke free unrestrained as he quickly dropped his ninjaken in favor of grabbing the reptile locked onto his thigh. All around him, the grass began to sway and twist as more and more things slid through the grass toward him. His eyes went wide and panic began to set in when he realized not all of the hissing he heard was because of the grass' movement. It was because the land was swarming with snakes.

A burst of agony radiated up from his Achilles tendon, followed closely by a wet popping sensation that made his entire leg feel like it was on fire. The pain in his leg combined with the speed he'd put into his attack caused him to stumble over his own feet, lurching head first into the ground. He went rolling through the dirt, plowing over grass and something that was most definitely not dirt. Not once did the snakes let go, not even when he finally came to a halt on his back.

That was when panic became sheer, outright terror. Snakes swarmed in from all sides, fangs bared and eyes gleaming coldly in the sunlight overhead. Bidou had barely drawn enough air to scream when the creatures were upon him, coiling around his limbs and squeezing to the point where he could feel his blood pulsing as it tried to circulate through his constrained body. Sharpened teeth sank into him from all over, too many to accurately count. His sides, his arms, his throat… everywhere radiated pain as the reptiles quickly brought him under submission.

What the hell was going on? He wasn't surprised to find snakes in Grass Country, but this many attacking at once was more than coincidental! Choking, hands clawing at the rich earth as he writhed in agony, Bidou's eyes went wide as he saw his teammates drop to the ground around him. Shuei… Agatsu… Morimei… All of them didn't so much as twitch a muscle to get up. Shuei was facing him, his normally lively brown eyes dull and staring at nothing. Bidou spluttered and choked, wincing as the snake clinging to his throat squeezed harder. They were dead, he realized. All of his team had been killed.

It took him a couple of dizzied seconds before he noticed the shadow looming over him, blocking out the hard sunlight that had been burning his skin. A chill ran down his spine, a feeling of cold dread so intense he didn't even dare to finish trying to breathe. The kunoichi, the one his team was supposed to take out, smiled delightedly at him as she crouched down, straddling his chest as intimately as any lover would have. Either by design of the snakes or a miracle on her part, she avoided stepping on any of the hissing, writhing mass piled on him.

Blood was splattered all over her, matting her hair and staining her pale skin darkly. Slowly, she licked her lips, her tongue cleaning off the drying remains of his teammates' blood. The look on her face as she settled her weight more firmly on his stomach made him gag. She looked as if the blood of his dead comrades was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted in her life.

He flinched when she reached out and ran a fingernail down the snake coiled around his neck. Something passed through her eyes that made his entire body go cold. The closest he could come to describing that look would be to say it was lustful. It was like the sight of him bleeding and completely immobile while covered in squeezing, hissing reptiles was turning her on. No one should look like that when they were covered in other people's blood. No one _sane_, that was. Just what the hell kind of ninja lived in Hidden Leaf?

The kunoichi leaned forward, so close that a hard thought would have placed her lips on his. Bidou closed his eyes as sweat fell freely down his temples, soaking into the head protector secured to his forehead. He whimpered when cool fingers slid underneath the cloth and slowly pulled the protector off, either unaware or uncaring that he was all but pissing himself underneath her. He'd seen and survived quite a few things in his time, but _never_ had anyone terrified him as much as this woman did.

"Today's your lucky day, lover," the kunoichi purred enticingly. It was the sort of voice a woman would use in the bedroom, and Bidou knew that if by some miracle he survived this he would never set foot in a brothel again. "Know why?"

He didn't even dare to move. Hell, he couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes right then. If he saw that smile again… those fiendish eyes… Well, it didn't look like he'd live long enough to have nightmares at any rate. He would be sent to hell soon enough, and at that moment he would have preferred those eternal flames than to have her straddling his hips.

Bidou flinched at the feel of cool metal sliding down his cheek, too dull to be a kunai. It took him a moment before it occurred to him that it was the metal plate on the hitai-ate that she was rubbing along his jaw. The movement was slow and would have been rather sensual were he not in the middle of a field and about to die. "This is a _very_ interesting accessory you have here. Sound Ninja, hmm? You're very, _very_ lucky I spotted your comrades wearing these babies. Otherwise, my snake would have crushed your windpipe in an instant. Now… I'm gonna take her off so you can breathe, and you're gonna thank me for not killing you, got it?"

He flinched harder, hoping she would understand the movement to be a yes, he got it. The snake around his throat loosened its hold immediately, leaving him choking for an uneven breath. Blinking through the pained tears in his eyes, Bidou saw the snake curl its way up the kunoichi's arm, disappearing under the sleeve of her jacket. Chest rising and falling heavily, making the snakes curled around him follow that same rhythm, he met the kunoichi's gaze as she dangled the head protector between her fingers.

"Where's Orochimaru?" she asked, her voice dropping the seductive tone in favor of one that promised painful, lethal force if he didn't answer.

He was about to tell her he had no idea who she was talking about when he spotted movement in the air above her. The shape was dark against the glaring sun, but easily recognizable as a person with a katana raised overhead for a death blow. A pang of relief so sharp it made him choke on happy tears broke from him when he realized it was Kaito's group coming to the rescue.

* * *

Kotetsu wheeled around, spinning the giant shuriken in his palms swiftly as he bent backward and sliced one of the attacking ninja up the back of his spine. Blood sprayed everywhere as the man went down with a piercing scream, falling just a few feet away from the terrified lord and his unconscious wife. He let the shuriken fly as he finished the pivoting motion, his hands already reaching for his weapons scroll as the two new attackers crouched down to avoid having their chests gouged open. The giant shuriken spun out of sight, cleaving a jagged trail through the tall grass. Kotetsu flicked the scroll open sharply, the thin paper rustling wildly as it unspooled around him, fluttering in elegant circles as he rapidly worked the hand signs to release its contents.

Lips set in a thin, firm line Kotetsu quickly grabbed the weapons now piling out from the scroll, sending the barrage of kunai and shuriken whistling with deadly accuracy at the enemies. He could see the whites of their eyes as they realized they were about to become gruesome pincushions and watched as they dropped futilely into the grass to avoid the damage. The sounds of their cries were drowned out by the wet squish of sharpened metal slashing into flesh.

He dropped to one knee as the last of the four attackers sprang up on his left with a katana poised to strike. The whistle slicing through the air over his head was sharp, telling him he'd just barely missed having his head lobbed off. Kotetsu's hand closed over the first weapon he came into contact with – a ninjaken- and rammed the short blade upward into the man's chest cavity with everything he had. Blood spurted all over his hands and face as he used the upward momentum to fling the man over his shoulders and into the ground on the other side, quickly swiveling away when the man made a last ditched effort to slice his stomach open. It took one flick of a kunai across the man's throat before he wasn't capable of lifting a weapon any longer.

Breathing hard, Kotetsu wiped his eyes across his sleeve, grimacing as the soaked material didn't do anything to clear his vision. He shook the kunai free of the dead man's blood before placing the blade in his mouth. He grabbed two more kunai and glanced over his shoulder to make certain the client was still alive. Lord Tsuigetsu was still clinging to his wife as he cowered behind the shelter of an overturned cart. So long as he stayed put, Kotetsu didn't have to worry that he would be at risk.

Standing up, he scanned the area for Anko and Kakashi. Their team leader had disappeared shortly before the attack to try and draw some of the ninja away from the group. It had worked, but the outcome of that battle was still a mystery. Not that he couldn't already guess at what that would be; these guys were chuunin at best, which meant they were basically cannon fodder for the Copy Ninja. If that was the case though, Kakashi should have been done with them pretty quickly. So… where the hell _was_ he?

Kotetsu whirled around when he heard screams coming from the back of the group, falling into a defensive crouch on reflex. Those screams… They weren't from any of the women or children back that way. They were coming from grown men, ones who were in an extreme amount of pain. Apparently, Anko was working out her boredom on them. If it weren't for the fact that they had tried to kill innocent people, he almost would have felt sorry for them. That woman was a little too close to insane for his comfort.

The servants were backing away from the battle in the rear fearfully, cramming into the terrified knot of people bunched together in the center. They were tripping over themselves, which created a new problem as those that fell weren't helped back up and were now being trampled by their frightened comrades. Damn it… was he supposed to protect _all_ of them while Anko was occupied and Kakashi took his sweet-ass time doing god-knows-what? Not even those hounds of his were anywhere nearby! Kotetsu straightened from his crouch and gazed out over the area once again to see if he could locate any of his comrades.

That was when he spotted the nin streaking up behind where Anko had to be located. He couldn't see her amidst the grass, but there was only one reason why someone would move that fast and that was to kill an enemy combatant. Kotetsu flung both his kunai at the now airborne assailant before reaching down for one of the giant shuriken planted in the dirt. The kunai would do some damage but they wouldn't be strong enough to knock the man off his trajectory course. A giant shuriken, however, would.

He launched the spiked weapon with barely a conscious effort of the movement, the fluidity coming from years and years of practice. Even though he was only a chuunin, there were very few people better than he was when it came to weapons and how to use them. His father had been coaching him ever since he'd been old enough to stand, even giving him a wooden kunai to snuggle with at night instead of a stuffed animal. Despite the fact he knew his throw was precise, instinct still made him take up another one and spin around just in case he'd been off.

The shuriken struck the attacker dead in the side, and the force of the throw combined with the size of the weapon was enough to fling the man's body far out of reach. As the ninja hit the ground and didn't get up again, Anko's head popped up over the grass. Surprise was written all over her face, but whether it was because of his skill or because he'd just saved her ass, he didn't know. Smirking and completely proud of himself for showing her that a _chuunin_ was just as capable as a jounin, Kotetsu waved back at her.

And then gasped in pain as a blade thunked heavily between his shoulder blades. He cried out sharply when a kunai was thrust through his arm, forcing his hand to spasm and loosen its grip on the giant shuriken. Before he could even think to spin around and offer a counter attack, two more kunai found their way into his calf and thigh, instantly dropping him to the ground. Pain like nothing he'd ever felt before swam through him, so incredibly sharp that he almost wished he would die just to escape it. Choking back a scream, Kotetsu managed to get one arm under his chest and pushed himself to a kneeling position. He could feel the presence behind him and smiled wryly as he realized this was how he was going to die; forced to his knees after saving a teammate's life. He couldn't have asked for a better ending than that.

* * *

What a dumb fucking thing to do, Chikaru thought as he slowly walked up behind the shinobi now kneeling before him. Arrogant idiot… Thinking he was the shit just because he took Kaito out. He wasn't gonna live long enough to boast about it. Grinning as he flipped a kunai across his palm idly, Chikaru took a good grip of the kneeling shinobi's thick, dark hair. He jerked his opponent's head back, a satisfied smirk twisting his lips at the pained grunt from his victim. He didn't bother with any last words, merely drew back his arm to deal the death blow.

The ground beneath him erupted suddenly, throwing him off balance as he looked down in shock. A fist exploded from the dirt and connected with the underside of his jaw before he could even think to react as stars burst inside his head and he was sent airborne. His body slammed into the ground roughly and went tumbling, jerking his arms nearly out of socket with the force of it. Gasping , Chikaru struggled to push himself up with one arm, blood trickling from where his teeth had cut into the insides of his cheek. His arm shook and gave out, numbness settling through his torn muscles heavily. Breathing brought about a new pain, as did applying any pressure on his left knee. Shit… What the hell had _that_ been?

He only had a second to register the rapid sound of footsteps heading his way before something heavy connected with his chest and he was lifted into the air again. Agony burned through his lungs and he knew the sharp crack he'd heard were his ribs being broken. He'd barely hit the ground again before the next attack came. A round of kunai zipped almost soundlessly through the air, hitting him directly in the joints on his arms and dragging a scream from his throat as tendons were severed, making it impossible for him to even think about lifting a weapon.

A weight settled on his chest, intensifying the anguish of drawing breath as it applied pressure to his broken ribs. Gasping as blood began to trickle into his throat, Chikaru felt a dry sob tear from him as he turned pain-filled eyes up at his attacker. One dark grey eye glared back at him, completely devoid of any human mercy. There was nothing in that look except a silent promise that if Chikaru so much as twitched, he would die. The man wasn't holding a weapon, but he didn't have to. Just the deadly aura surrounding him was enough to make Chikaru think twice about trying a counterattack.

Groaning, Chikaru dropped his head back into the dirt and closed his eyes as he realized Mizuru had been right. The man with the pale hair… the one who'd done nothing but read the entire time… had been Copy Ninja Kakashi. He was so royally fucked now.

* * *

Holy hell… _More_ of these guys? Seriously, wasn't the ass-whooping their friends took enough to scare them off? Growling angrily, Anko spun around as she sensed a presence appearing out of the thick grass behind her. Without any hesitation, she drew a kunai and aimed for the guy's throat…

Only, she redirected her aim at the last second when she noticed the hitai-ate tied around the upper portion of his arm bore the Grass insignia on it. The man wasn't with the bandits. It was too late to completely stop her forward momentum, but at least she redirected what would have been a lethal attack to a mere graze across his shoulder.

"_Shit_," he hissed angrily, glaring at her as he pressed a hand to the bleeding wound. "You goddamned Leaf bitch… what the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Hey it's your own goddamned fault for sneaking up during an attack, idiot," Anko shouted back at him, shoving him away from her roughly. She didn't care if they were on the same side, the guy had no right getting pissy over his own stupidity!

"Why do you think we _were_ sneaking up?" the man fired back angrily. "We were coming to protect our client and help _your_ useless asses out!"

"You son of a-,"

"Anko, calm down. These are our allies. They have the same goal as us; to protect Lord Tsuigetsu," Kakashi called as he offered a hand to someone in the grass. Anko very nearly sagged with relief as Kotetsu got to his feet, blood coating him from shoulders to waist. He followed Kakashi over to the group of Grass Nin, limping heavily and looking much paler than he usually was. Awww… Poor baby, getting soaked in blood! This was probably his first real fight as a ninja. He should consider himself lucky he was even alive.

"But, Kakashi, he just-," she blurted out, pointing an accusing finger at the Grass Nin.

"Stand. Down." It wasn't a request any longer. He was flat out ordering her to back off.

Scowling angrily at her team leader, Anko slowly relaxed her stance and took a step back from the smirking Grass Nin. It took a helluva lotta willpower not to just lay the bastard out flat in one blow, but she knew Kakashi wouldn't allow it. He was just no fun sometimes!

"Sorry we're late," Kakashi said cheerfully, as if they weren't in the middle of a battlefield and hadn't just been about to attack their fellow ninja. "Unfortunately, there were several, ah… changes in the travel plan." His shoulders curved forward slightly as he stuck his hands in his pockets and directed his lazy gaze at the other three Grass Ninja wandering over to them. Nine hostages stumbled and limped behind them, all of them neatly bound and looking much worse for ware.

Well, well… Nice to see their allies hadn't been lazy in all of this! Anko smirked wickedly at the one enemy ninja covered over in bleeding snakebites. He was still several feet away but she could hear his gulp as clearly as if he were standing next to her. Oh, yes… He wouldn't be forgetting Mitarashi Anko any time soon!

A quick looking over told her that only four others were wearing Sound badges, which meant they'd either defected (which usually wasn't an option with Orochimaru) or had met up with some like-minded troublemakers during their travels. She chuckled lightly, which made the hostages blanch considerably. Interrogating them was gonna be fun!

The apparent leader of the Grass Ninja stepped forward, sparing a quick glance at the one that had snuck up on Anko to make certain the injury wasn't serious. Once he was sure his comrade wasn't going to die, he snorted derisively through the loose wrappings draped over the lower half of his face. "Your Hokage said the numbers were bigger than was initially negotiated," he replied, his voice low and a little raspy as he took in the group of huddled, frightened servants that were barely daring to breathe. He sighed, his eyebrows rising briefly as if in disappointment. "Apparently, Konoha doesn't care if they get screwed over… but _we_ do. What bullshit."

Snorting contemptuously, Anko moved until she was standing next to her team once again and folded her arms under her breasts while pinning a hard glare on the leader. She opened her mouth to let him know just what _was_ bullshit but promptly shut it once again when she caught the warning look Kakashi directed at her. Hmph… spoilsport. He just _had _to suck the fun outta everything, didn't he? Fine, if he wanted to ignore the insult she'd play along… for now.

Once satisfied she wasn't going to tell the Grass Ninja what she really thought of them, Kakashi put on a blatantly fake happy face and said, "We'll stick around to help get things in order again before turning everyone over to your care. Sound good?"

The Grass leader made a scoffing sound as his eyes darkened fiercely at Kakashi's offer. "We're not like you Leaf Nin," he sneered. "We don't need to have someone bail our asses out. You've gotten our client to us alive. Your job here is done. Go home."

Anko grit her teeth and squeezed her hands into tight, angry fists to keep from beating the bastard into a pulp. She didn't like the way he said 'you Leaf nin', as if _they_ were to blame for the strained relations between Grass and Konoha. She started to step forward, fully prepared to show him just what a ninja of Hidden Leaf could do when Kakashi's arm shot out to block her. "Listen, Kakashi-san," she bit out tightly, ignoring the amused snickers coming from the ninja across from her. "I've about had it with-"

"That's fine with us," Kakashi cut her off, speaking to the smirking Grass Ninja as if she hadn't just tried to speak. "We'll get out of here just as soon as you pass over our captives."

The Grass leader's eyebrows rose as he tugged at the wire binding three of the captured nin sharply, causing them to stumble and very nearly fall to their knees. "Who, these assholes here? Sorry, but they're coming with us. They did attack _our_ client, after all."

"As I seem to recall, Lord Tsuigetsu and his entourage don't become your responsibility until they cross the borders of Grass," Kakashi continued, keeping his voice calm and reasonable. "Since we're still in Fire Country, that makes those men ours."

"We're the ones who saved your worthless hides," another Grass Nin snapped back, his hand dropping down to the shuriken holster on his thigh. "They're ours by conquest!"

"A conquest you conducted within the borders of _our_ territory. Which, if we really wanted to get technical, could constitute as unwanted hostile actions toward Konoha," Kotetsu coughed out thickly, much to everyone's surprise. Wasn't he the one who'd been so concerned about maintaining relations with Grass Country? Wow… Anko couldn't help grinning at this surprising turn of events.

All of the Grass Ninja stiffened angrily and shifted around at the rather blatant threat. "Better watch your next words carefully, boy," the leader hissed fiercely. "Don't wanna go starting a war, now do you?"

"Believe me, that's the last thing Konoha wants with its friends in Grass Country. But we cannot allow you to take those men back with you," Kakashi interjected calmly before Kotetsu could even open his mouth. His tone though suggested there wouldn't be any arguing this point.

"And how do you propose to stop us? We out number you, we're more familiar with the terrain and we're all uninjured. You have no room to negotiate here."

"Is that what you think?" Anko snapped as she reached back for her last kunai. She'd only get one hit and she intended to put it right between that smug bastard's eyes!

The Grass Ninja, who had been reaching for their own weapons, came to a dead halt when dogs suddenly appeared out of the tall grass, hair raised and angry growls leaking from between their bared teeth. They ringed the Grass Nin and captives completely, bodies tensed to pounce should anyone think to attack. Slowly, the Grass leader raised both his hands and settled them on the back of his head, keeping his eyes on the hounds at all times. His men soon followed suit, all of them being very mindful of their movements lest one of the dogs mistook the action and tore their throats out.

"I'm surprised you have the gall to attack us, what with our relations being so strained and all," their leader hissed, his eyes all but spitting venom at Kakashi. Anko couldn't help grinning at her leader's profile, all of her earlier irritation with him fading in light of this change in events.

Kakashi glanced from the irate man toward the circle of dogs as if he had just now noticed their presence. "I'm sorry, but I suffer from random bouts of amnesia. Terribly problematic, really, especially when it happens on missions. It makes filling out the reports later rather difficult," he deadpanned.

Realizing he wasn't getting anywhere with Kakashi, the Grass leader snarled fiercely, "Fine! Take the hostages, but know that we _will_ be addressing this with your Hokage as soon as we get back to our village!"

"Taking up what, exactly? The fact that you crossed our borders with hostile intent, imposed yourselves on _our_ mission unnecessarily, insulted my team and then proceeded to hold persons of interest from our authority? Yes, please do mention that to the Hokage. It'll save me a lot of time." Kotetsu groaned heavily at Kakashi's flippantly cheerful words and looked ready to weep at the obvious damage done to their foreign relations.

Anko moved forward then, uncaring that she was literally stepping into a circle of dogs just waiting to rip something to pieces. She jerked the wire lines from the Grass Ninjas' hands and tugged on them, forcing the captives to edge their way carefully out of the snarling pack. Grinning brightly, she slapped the wires down into Kakashi's waiting palm and said, "And here I thought I was gonna have to take the client hostage just to get them to play nice! Those dogs of yours are pretty hand, Hatake."

"If Tsunade asks, I beat you into submission and forced you to go along with this," he murmured as he wrapped the wires around his wrist. "That goes for you too, Kotetsu."

Kotetsu blinked his eyes slowly and mumbled in a voice that was oddly thick sounding, "I'm going to have to disobey that order, Kakashi-san. I could have stopped you from doing that."

"Of course you could have. Still… humor me on this, would you?"

Giving a resigned sigh, Kotetsu offered a weak smile and nodded his agreement to the request.

Pleased that he wasn't going to get any further arguments for taking the heat on this stunt, Kakashi's eye creased cheerfully as he gave the wire lines a sharp tug. "Well, it's been fun but we really must get going now," he called as he waved at the Grass Ninja, who were still being held in place by the ninken. "Pakkun, wait ten minutes or until Lord Tsuigetsu's people are ready to start moving again before you let our friends go, okay?"

"Sure thing," the pug growled out absently, all of his attention focused on the four ninja in front of him.

The three of them began walking off, Kakashi forcing the captured nin in front of them while he picked up where he'd left off with his reading. Anko walked behind him with her hands folded behind her head and a beaming smile on her face while Kotetsu limped in the rear. "I have to say, sempai, that was pretty cool back there," she commented as soon as they were out of earshot from the Grass Ninja. "For a second, I thought you were seriously gonna let them get away with that!"

"Mm," was all Kakashi said in return as he flipped to the next page in his book.

Laughing, Anko nudged him in the shoulder playfully, rocking him over a step before he readjusted his stance and continued walking. "Don't be bashful! Did you see the looks on their faces? I thought for sure they were gonna crap themselves, they were so scared! And _you_, Kotetsu… Spouting off like that about hostile actions? Your balls are bigger than I- KOTETSU!"

Anko raced back to where their teammate had collapsed in the grass. She fell to her knees beside him, her eyes widening in shock. His back was soaked with blood, which continued to flow out of the wide split in his flak vest. She rolled him over swiftly, her fingers frantically jerking the zipper to his vest down to check for any further injuries. Kotetsu's eyes rolled back and his lips parted, letting out a rattling gasp before he went completely limp. Hands shaking, she pressed her fingers to his throat and pleaded silently that there was still a beat. A dry sob escaped her as she felt the flutter of life in his veins. Anko scrunched her eyes shut tightly at the beginning burn of tears.

The entire time they'd been standing there, arguing with the Grass Ninja, and he'd been losing blood. All that time… and he'd never once hinted that he'd been injured!

Anko was rolling Kotetsu back over again to examine his back just as Kakashi dropped to his knees as well, having paused long enough to secure the captives to a tree to keep them from plotting an escape. He pushed her hands away when they wouldn't stop shaking long enough to do the job. Taking a firm grip of the sopping material sticking to Kotetsu's back, Kakashi it a firm jerk and exposed a deep, ugly wound that stretched from between his shoulder blades several inches. It continued to pulse fresh blood down his back, spilling it thickly into the dirt under his stomach.

Immediately, Anko's mind flashed back to that surprised moment during the fight when one of the enemy had fallen with a giant shuriken sticking out of his side. She'd looked up to see who'd thrown it just long enough to note that it had Kotetsu before she'd gone back to terrifying her prisoner. She'd thought he'd been okay. Had she known…

"Anko."

She blinked at the sound of her name and slowly tore her eyes from the wound to look at the item Kakashi was holding out to her. It was an emergency transport scroll. She took it, her bloody fingers staining the paper with rusty red splotches. The fact that he was giving her this to use told her just how bad off Kotetsu was. He needed to get back to Konoha and fast. "Get him directly to Shizune and tell Tsunade I'm coming back with people for interrogation," he explained.

Nodding, Anko flipped the scroll open, did the necessary seals and held tightly to Kotetsu to make sure he transported with her.

* * *

Sakura puffed a breath of air into the shorter pieces of hair that fell into her face and shifted restlessly on the paper lined examination table. She swung her legs idly, frowned when she noticed it made the paper gown ride up indecently and promptly stopped. Sighing, she looked at the clock on the wall and noted that it was now ten after three. She'd been waiting for almost twenty minutes for Shizune to conduct her biyearly physical.

She'd been caught off guard when she'd walked into the hospital that morning and been informed that she was due for a check up. Actually, she'd been due almost a week ago… but apparently Suki kept conveniently 'forgetting' to tell her about it. Sakura snorted and glared at a spot on the tiled floor glumly. Yeah… that was really likely. Or, another, more believable scenario was that Suki had deliberately not told her because she was still carrying a grudge. How the hell was she supposed to know taking Konoha's number one bachelor off the market was a major social gaff?

At least no one was messing with her when it came to her patients any longer. No more charts were misfiled or disorganized, no one dared to elbow her in passing when she was wearing the green medic coat. It still wasn't pleasant having people hate her for something so stupid, but it was definitely more tolerable when it wasn't affecting her job. That was an unforgivable thing, especially when it was her fellow medics doing it. They above all people knew it was dangerous playing around when people's lives were on the line.

While the patient areas were blessedly free of incident, the break room and surgery prep areas were a different story entirely though. She'd had everything from snide comments to random stuff being slipped into her coat pockets done to her since it started getting around that she was dating Kakashi. The really bad thing was that there wasn't much she could do about it either, seeing as those were the only two areas (besides the administration offices) where patients weren't at risk.

Her tormentors were very careful, following her outburst, to keep their antics away from the patients and to make certain that neither Shizune nor Tsunade were around to catch them. One of the older medics had been caught by Tsunade as she was trying to slip a stinging beetle down the back of Sakura's shirt in the locker area. She'd not only been cut from the medic program but completely blacklisted from _all_ ninja activity for the rest of her life. Tsunade had essentially excommunicated her from the shinobi world completely. That act had reduced the number of pranks significantly, but it still didn't make it safe for her to leave her coat around though.

The last time she'd taken her medic coat off and draped it over a chair, some idiot had dropped a wet clump of nasty, moldy hair into her pocket. It was pretty pathetic when someone would actually resort to digging out the crap from inside their shower drain just to torment her. Of course, that wasn't the worst thing that'd been left for her. That distinct honor went to whoever had rubbed fish oil all over her locker so that she had no choice but to touch it in order to get her stuff out. She'd smelled like a fish for the rest of the day, which had raised several eyebrows and frightened a few patients completely.

Sakura sighed again and stared at the chipped nail polish on her toenails. She was grateful Shizune had been there this morning, otherwise she had a feeling Suki would have stuck her with some bitter, pissed off medic who would probably add ten pounds to her weight just be spiteful. Obviously, the hazing hadn't gone completely unnoticed by the higher ups, seeing as Shizune very rarely performed basic physicals any longer. The look on Suki's face had been priceless when she'd offered to do it.

But Shizune was a very busy woman who really didn't have the time to do a check up appointment, which was why she'd been stuck waiting for so long. Even though the other woman meant well by the gesture, all Sakura could think about were the patients she was _supposed_ to be treating who were now being reassigned to other medics because she wasn't there yet. She should be out there helping them, not cooped up in a small examination room wearing a paper dress! But Shizune had said she was to be in room two-eleven at ten to three… so here she was.

The door opened then, causing Sakura to sit up straighter as Shizune came bustling in with a chart under one arm and a smile on her face. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sakura-chan," she said breathlessly as she pushed the door closed and dropped the orange colored chart onto the counter area. "Tsunade-sama took a little longer than expected in her meeting and with Izumo bogged down in paperwork…"

Smiling back, Sakura shrugged and said, "It's okay. I just wish I was allowed to check my own vitals or something, just to make this faster." It was against hospital policy for medics to conduct any part of their own physical. There'd been incidences in the past where people had done just that and fudged a few facts in order to keep their standing in the medical field.

Shizune laughed as she flipped open the chart to a blank encounter page and pulled a pen out from her pocket. "I'll try and make this as quick as possible, I promise. Now then… let's get your weight and height first, okay?"

Cringing as she grudgingly slid off the paper covered bed, Sakura trudged over to the scale in the corner and reluctantly got on it. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Yes, we do. You can turn around if you don't want to see the results, though I don't really understand why you'd be upset by it."

Sakura wrinkled her nose at Shizune but didn't take the offer to stand on the scale backward. She knew she wasn't fat or anything, but she was pretty sure she'd gained a few pounds and she _knew_ she hadn't grown a single inch all year. Standing as straight as she could in hopes of somehow making her body stretch last minute, Sakura watched as Shizune rapidly slid the scale weights into place before settling the height guide on top of her head.

"Sakura-chan, please don't stand on the balls of your feet," Shizune reprimanded.

"Sorry," she mumbled back dismally as she fell back on her heels again. So much for pulling one over on her.

Once the weight and height were recorded in her chart, Shizune smiled and stepped away from the machine. "Okay, take a seat, please. We'll do a quick history and complaints review before moving on to your other vitals. Unless you want to get that done with first?"

Shizune had remembered Sakura's dislike for the chakra alignment exam, having claimed once that it left her feeling woozy and a little ill afterward. It was an invasive procedure that was unfortunately something every ninja had to go through. Basically, a medic would infiltrate the body with their own chakra to check and see if the levels were suitable and if all points for chakra release were in working order. Then, the medic would purposely stimulate the chakra to see how well it reacted. Stimulating chakra involved working it into a frenzy and then ceasing abruptly. The entire process was repeated over the course of two minutes to gauge the patient's stamina, which was a very taxing thing on those with lower tolerances… like her.

Pouting as she picked at the paper lining under her fingers, Sakura answered reluctantly, "Tsunade-shishou likes the vitals done after the history and complaints… so I guess we can do that."

Nodding, Shizune hooked her foot under the rolling stool and took a seat as she prepared to write. "Have you experienced anything out of the ordinary for you in the last six months?"

"No, not really. I mean, I had a stuffy nose a few months ago, but that was it."

"No headaches, random bouts of nausea, spotty vision?"

"Nope."

"Have you noticed any change in your performance when using chakra?"

Sakura shook her head no. "It's actually gotten easier to channel it. You know, more natural."

Shizune smiled brightly at that as she continued writing. "Well, you _are_ making fabulous progress, Sakura-chan. Tsunade-sama was just saying so the other day."

"Really?" she asked hopefully, her mood lifting at the other woman's praise. Tsunade wasn't the sort of mentor who doled out compliments very often, so whenever she did it was incredibly flattering.

Nodding, Shizune continued happily, "She was thinking you'd be ready for the jounin exams sometime early next year."

Oh… wow! She flushed happily and bit her lower lip to keep from giggling. She really couldn't believe Tsunade was serious about her taking the jounin exams, but her teacher never joked around when it came to her training. It was just unbelievable to her that she'd come as far as she had in a little over two years. She couldn't help the bolt of pride that went through her over the fact that it was _her_ hard work and Tsunade's demanding training that had gotten her to this point. Of course, she still had a long way to go before she'd feel totally comfortable taking the jounin exams. She'd also have to find a jounin sponsor between now and then.

Sponsors were the ones who recommended that a chuunin be promoted. They also served as a sort of mentor and coach during the exams. Normally, any chuunin preparing for the jounin exams would ask their teacher to sponsor them for the event. But seeing as her current teacher was the Hokage and she was now dating her former teacher… She really couldn't ask either of them to sponsor her.

Sakura looked up at Shizune and asked timidly, "Shizune-san, when I'm ready would you… would you maybe consider sponsoring me for it?"

The sound of the stool rolling across the floor was loud in the little room. Sakura's eyes widened a touch when Shizune reached out and covered one of her hands with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'd love to."

Touched by the other woman's kindness, Sakura smiled back and whispered, "Thanks."

Giving her hand one final squeeze, Shizune spun around again and went directly back into business mode. "Now then, it looks like Tsunade-sama started you on birth control last year. How's that working out for you?"

Shrugging and wrinkling her nose slightly, she answered, "Okay, I guess. My cycle's pretty much on to the minute, which is _really_ great for mission planning on my part. Oh, and it's been amazing acne control, too." She grinned at Shizune's chuckle as she began swinging her legs back and forth idly. "Other than the first couple weeks where it was making me nauseous, I haven't really had any problems with it."

"And you're making certain you take it every day? You're not forgetting and doubling up, are you?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and grumbled, "No, I'm not forgetting. Tsunade-shishou spent almost four hours drilling the importance of birth control into my head, thanks."

Shizune shot her a stern frown as she paused in making notes. "You can never be too careful, Sakura," she chastised. "You'd be surprised how many women don't take their contraceptives appropriately and end up pregnant."

"I know…" Great, now she'd started it. She couldn't have just said 'yes, Shizune-san' and called it a day? Noooo… That would have been the smart thing to do.

"This is for your own protection, Sakura," the other woman continued firmly, her voice falling into the lecture mode that most of the medics dreaded having directed at them. "Tsunade-sama wouldn't suggest it if she didn't think it was necessary."

"I _know_, Shizune," Sakura groaned, meeting her superior's gaze levelly. "Tsunade-shishou's gone over this a hundred times now." It wasn't quite a hundred times, but Tsunade had definitely drilled in the reasons why she was really pushing for all active duty kunoichi to start using contraceptives. One of the most effective means of torture for a female ninja was rape. While birth control couldn't stop the act itself from occurring, at least there would be comfort in knowing a baby wouldn't result of it. Then, of course, there were the missions that required getting to _really_ know the target. Sometimes, or so she'd heard, that involved actually sleeping with them. Hmm… what if _her_ mission to steal _Icha Icha_ led to…

Sakura yelped and caught herself just before she slid off the exam table and onto the floor, her cheeks burning a brilliant crimson color as Shizune gave her a puzzled frown. Smiling a shaky apology for her clumsiness, Sakura climbed back onto the table and waited until Shizune went back to writing before slapping her hands over her face in embarrassment. Oh, dear _god_! She did _not_ almost think about sleeping with Kakashi! There was no way in hell it was ever coming to that. She was _not_ losing her virginity over some stupid porno books, no matter what Tsunade threatened her with.

She jumped again at the touch on her shoulder and jerked her head out of her hands to find Shizune standing next to her, looking very worried. "Sakura? Are you alright?" Shizune questioned, pressing a cool hand along her forehead and cheek in concern. "You're awfully warm. Do you have a fever?"

No… More like a _really_ awful misdirection in thoughts. Pushing her hair back and plastering what had to be the most unconvincing smile in existence on her face, Sakura laughed tensely and said, "No, no I'm fine! Really, just… um… A clumsy moment, that's all."

"Hmm… That's not normal for you. Are you sure you're not experiencing a headache, dizziness, nausea… anything?"

Crap. Gritting her teeth, Sakura shook her head no while beating herself mentally for her lame excuse. She should have known better than to say something like that in front of a fellow medic. Admitting to a clumsy moment was never good when the slightest shake of the hand could misplace the healing chakra and actually cause more damage than good on a patient. Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, Sakura managed a more genuine smile as she repeated, "I'm fine. Honest. I was just thinking about something else, that's all."

A knowing look crossed over Shizune's face shortly before she stepped back, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes down turned demurely. "I understand," she said softly. "It _has_ taken them longer than was anticipated, but from what I gathered from Tsunade-sama the situation had changed a little. See, the client failed to declare the correct number of people traveling so-,"

"What are you talking about, Shizune-san?" Sakura asked bewilderedly, her eyebrows pinching together tightly over her eyes. What situation? And what was taking longer than planned?

Blinking, Shizune glanced up at her with a frown. "You were thinking about Kakashi-san, correct? And the fact that his team's late in returning?"

Oh… Oh! Shizune thought she'd been thinking about Kakashi? Well… yeah, she had. Just not in the way Shizune thought, or in the way _she_ should be thinking either. Shizune was right though; Kakashi _had _been gone a long time. She'd heard Tsunade talking about it the other day with one of the mission coordinators. But the Hokage hadn't sounded too concerned about it, so Sakura had chalked it up to Kakashi being late, as usual.

That didn't mean she wasn't worried about him though. She always felt some trepidation whenever someone she knew left the village, just because there was always the chance that they wouldn't return. But… that was the way of it with ninja, and she had long ago come to terms with the fact that she either had to get used to it or find something else to do. And that was why she'd become a medic; because she couldn't quite get used to it all the way. As a medic nin, she could at least help in keeping those she cared about alive. Including her teacher-turned-mission-target.

Sighing as her lips twisted wryly, Sakura shrugged and mumbled, "That obvious, huh?" It wasn't quite a lie, seeing as she _had_ been thinking about him.

Winking as she stroked Sakura's hair soothingly, Shizune murmured back, "Only to someone who knows how you feel. If you don't mind… may I ask how long you two have been seeing each other?"

Flushing bright red again, Sakura dropped her gaze to her lap and studied her nails self-consciously. "Oh, well… not very long. It's still sorta… new."

Nodding in understanding, Shizune pat her back gently and stepped away from her, returning to the countertop and the chart that needed filling out. "Forgive me for prying, Sakura-chan. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Oh, no! It's okay, Shizune-san. I know it's kinda… weird and all, us dating. I mean, there _is_ a pretty big age difference and…" Sakura scrunched her eyes closed again and silently told herself to shut the hell up. It was bad enough everyone knew she was dating Kakashi, why did she have to make it sound like she was pining for him on top of it?

"Honestly, Sakura-chan, I don't think age is such a big issue when two people care about each other," Shizune answered as she continued making notes in the chart. "If the person is good and decent… That's all that matters. And Kakashi-san _is _a good man."

Snorting and rolling her eyes, Sakura quipped, "I noticed you left off the 'decent' part though. A good thing, seeing as he's anything but that."

Shizune laughed at her joke and pulled the stethoscope from around her neck, inserting the ear pieces as she walked back over to Sakura. "True, but he's harmless. Now, Jiraiya-sama on the other hand… Be certain you're not left alone with him for more than a minute. And make _very_ certain you're never alone with him for more than thirty seconds if you're wearing the standard uniforms, alright? Tsunade-sama has stories that will scar you for life about that man."

"You mean like the one where he somehow talked seven female medics into an orgy right outside the Sandaime's office?" Sakura grinned as the listening end of the stethoscope slipped abruptly out of Shizune's hands as she was warming it up.

Cheeks pinkening ever so slightly, Shizune mumbled, "Yes, like that one." Then, deciding that the conversation had gone quite far enough, she motioned for Sakura to sit up straighter. "You know what to do; deep breath in, hold it for a few seconds and release. Ready, and-"

Before Shizune could so much as settle the metal piece against her chest, the door to the exam room burst open and a wide eyed, pale faced chuunin came stumbling in. Gasping for breath, he ran over to Shizune and grabbed her arm, urgently dragging her toward the door. "Shizune-san, come quickly! We need you down in the emergency area and-,"

"Oda! You don't just go waltzing into a closed exam room like that," Shizune reprimanded as she pulled her arm free with a firm tug. "The medic on duty in emergency care is Fuzuki today and she's more than capable of-,"

"No, it has to be you," Oda exclaimed anxiously. "It's Kotetsu-san! Anko-san suddenly appeared out of nowhere with him and is demanding that someone get you! Shizune-san… he's bad. Kotetsu, I mean. I-I've never seen…"

That was all it took for Shizune to drop everything and hurry out of the room, leaving Sakura staring blankly at the panting chuunin still standing in the doorway. Kotetsu was injured… How awful. He'd been so nervous going on a mission with Anko and…

And Kakashi.

Gasping as a heavy, cold feeling flooded through her body, Sakura's eyes widened fearfully as she struggled to remember how to breathe. That was Kakashi's team, the escort mission. If Kotetsu was hurt, then that meant… "Oda," she choked out. "Kakashi-sensei… is he… where is he?"

Oda gaped at her and shook his head. "He didn't come back with them. Or, at least I didn't see him there. God, Sakura… Kotetsu's a mess! He's _covered_ in blood and- Sakura? Hey, Sakura, where're you going?"

Sakura was already passed him and running barefoot down the hall of the hospital, uncaring that she was only wearing an examination gown and that people were openly gaping at her.


	12. Turn Me On

The first thing Kotetsu saw when he opened his eyes was an overwhelming amount of cleavage. Large, firm breasts were all but pressed into his face as the owner of them leaned across his prone form. The fact that such an abundant display was right in front of him and he felt too groggy to do anything about it told him he was drugged. Probably pain killers, if the lack of any real discomfort was any indication. And the tell-tale scent of bleach and other sterilizing chemicals suggested that he was in the hospital.

That last part was confirmed when the well-endowed chest moved away from his face and left him blinking into the bright white light of a hospital room. Kotetsu squinted his eyes against the intrusion and looked up into the blurry face of the Hokage as she adjusted the blanket covering him crisply. "H-Hokage…s-sama," he rasped, his voice hoarse and dry sounding. He swallowed in an effort to get some moisture in his throat, but his mouth was completely dry.

The next thing he knew, a straw was being fit between his lips and Tsunade ordered, "Suck." Kotetsu did as he was told, groaning weakly at the blessed feel of cool water hitting his parched mouth. He took a few greedy gulps before spitting the straw out and mumbling, "Thanks."

The soft sound of someone discretely clearing their throat made him glance at the foot of his bed. Sakura was there with Shizune standing just behind her. Both women were beaming at him, obviously very relieved that he was still alive. He smiled back at them and lifted his hand the barest amount he could manage in his heavily drugged state. "Hey, guys," he croaked out.

"Hey, yourself," Sakura replied cheerfully, leaning across the metal frame of the bed to give his foot an affectionate squeeze. "You really scared us, you know."

"Sorry 'bout that. Won't happen again," he mumbled back.

Tsunade snorted scornfully and snapped, "You're damn right it won't! It's desk duty for you for at least two months. After the work those two put into saving you, there's no way I'm letting you out of my sight until you're _completely_ better!"

There was the barest hint of concern in her otherwise scathing tone, which made his eyes widen a touch in shock. Wow… he must have been worse off than he'd thought if even Tsunade had been worried. Swallowing heavily and unsure if he really wanted to hear the answer, Kotetsu asked hesitantly, "How… How bad was it?"

Sakura and Shizune exchanged glances, and even though they didn't say a single word that action alone was enough to make a cold sweat break across his brow. Apparently, he'd been pretty bad.

It was Tsunade who finally answered his question. Letting out a reluctant sigh, she said softly, "You've been unconscious for four days now, three of which were medically induced due to the severity of your injuries. You were quite literally on death's door when Anko appeared in the ER with you. Part of the reason you were so bad off was because _you_ just had to go and pull the kunai from your own back. Rule number one when stabbed in a potentially fatal spot: don't pull it out. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Letting out a satisfied hum, Tsunade continued speaking a little more gently, "Shizune was the first to respond. The wound in your back was perilously close to your spinal column. It also managed to cut through your lungs as well, which were starting to fill with blood. While Shizune went to work on your back, Sakura kept you from drowning in your own blood. It was a close thing, Kotetsu. You owe those two young women quite a bit for keeping your name off the cenotaph. I'm actually surprised you managed to stay standing as long as Anko says you did."

Kotetsu felt his cheeks warm a little at the compliment, prompting him to lower his gaze and study the hospital blanket closely. "So… Anko-san's okay?" he ventured. She'd seemed okay when they'd left the Grass Ninja, but he knew from listening to Tsunade complain that the kunoichi was just as bad as their team leader when it came to admitting how serious an injury was. For all he knew, she might have gotten stabbed in the gut and just brushed it off as a flesh wound.

For some reason, his question seemed to amuse the Hokage no end. Amber eyes glittering mischievously, Tsunade arched a brow and raised her voice enough to ask, "Anko, do you mind telling Kotetsu how you're doing?" She stepped to one side, giving him a view of the small window across the room… and the woman sitting awkwardly on the ledge.

To say he was shocked to see Anko there, busy staring at where her toes peeked out from the tops of her sandals, was an understatement. He had absolutely no words. Kotetsu continued to gape at her, jaw dropped open, as she continued sneaking uncertain glances over at him. Perhaps it was the drugs, but he could have sworn her eyes looked a little wet. "Anko-san…"

Anko stiffened at her name and gave him a dark, angry scowl. "You," she ground out tightly. "You have to be… _the biggest fucking idiot I've ever met!_"

There wasn't a single person who wasn't stunned by the enraged scream. Both Sakura and Shizune took a step closer toward the door while Tsunade's brows shot upward. Kotetsu gulped as the irate woman let out a low snarl, her hands balling into tight, shaking fists as she glared at the floor again. "I _knew_ that bastard was coming up behind me," she muttered fiercely. "You didn't have to go… I had everything…"

Everyone was staring at her like she'd gone completely insane… everyone except Kotetsu, that is. Before he'd gone on this mission, her outburst probably would have really pissed him off. But now… Releasing the pent-up breath in his chest, Kotetsu met Tsunade's confused gaze and murmured, "Hokage-sama… can we have a little privacy?"

Nodding as she rounded the end of the bed, Tsunade motioned for her two assistants to follow her. "Just remember: this is a hospital. No disturbing the other patients and no injuring the patients further," she warned before shutting the door after her quietly.

Kotetsu waited until the door was latched before turning to shoot an angry glare of his own at Anko. "Look," he grated out harshly. "If you're blaming yourself for me getting stabbed in the back, don't. Because the only one who's allowed to blame you for that is me, and I'm not gonna do that. I'd rather turn my back on an enemy than a teammate any day, got it? So… stop acting like a whiny bitch with a skinned knee. It's pathetic."

The look of absolute astonishment on Anko's face was so priceless that he couldn't help grinning at her. If her eyes went any rounder, they would surely fall right out of socket. After several seconds of her blinking rapidly at him and him fighting the urge to burst out laughing, she finally flashed him the familiar cocky smile he was used to seeing and said, "I don't wanna hear crap from the guy who _allowed_ his opponent to get behind him!"

Kotetsu's laugh was quickly cut off when it sent a stab of pain through his chest. He'd barely let out a pained groan before calloused hands came into view, fluttering uncertainly near his bandaged chest. He managed to give Anko a bewildered look through his tightly scrunched eyes, surprised once again by her obvious concern for him. Anko, acting as if she hadn't been about to help him, quickly flopped into the chair by his bedside and scowled at a spot on his blanket. In a way, her obvious awkwardness in trying to make sure he was okay was sort of… well, cute. It wasn't a word he really would have associated with the prickly woman, but it was a little endearing to watch her attempts.

Sighing as the drugs began taking affect once more, Kotetsu closed his heavy eyelids and relaxed as best as he could in a half-reclined position on terribly flat pillows. "You know," he mumbled thickly, not really aware of what exactly he was saying. "I never did tell you but… I'd work with you again." As sleep and painkillers began sucking him back down once more, he could have sworn he felt someone pushing his hair out of his face and heard a mutter of 'idiot' right before be passed out completely.

* * *

Sakura let out a heavy, exacerbated sigh as Ino violently tore down yet another flyer to crumple up and jam into the garbage can they were walking by. "Un-_believable_," the blonde girl ranted, throwing her arms up in the air in disbelief. The genin she almost clothes lined yelped and ducked for cover, watching the two kunoichi pass him by fearfully. "I don't get what everyone finds so funny about all this! I mean, you helped _save_Kotetsu's life!"

"Yeah… in a freakin' hospital gown with my panties showing for everyone to see," Sakura shot back glumly, hugging her arms around her stomach as Ino growled angrily and jerked another poster off the wall of a building. Apparently, someone in hospital surveillance had gotten the perfect shot of her bending over to heal some of the damage done to Kotetsu. From there, that person had taken a screen shot of her ass pointing directly at the camera, with the gown parted to display the fact that her panties had two big, red lip marks on each cheek.

It hadn't taken Tsunade long to find out who had made the flyers and promptly remove them from the hospital, but by then they'd already been copied and circulated throughout Konoha.

As if the cold shoulders, spiteful glares and pranks at the hospital weren't enough, now the Kakashi Fan Club (or the Kakashi Bitch Patrol as Ino liked to call them) had gotten it in their heads to publicly humiliate her. The sad thing was… it was sort of working. There was only so much cat-calling, whistling and kissing noises she could take before someone was going to the hospital for blunt force trauma. She and Ino had done their fair share of gossiping about the girls fawning over Sasuke, but they'd _never_ gone so low as to plaster the entire village with pictures of their asses. That was just pathetic… and very embarrassing.

Sakura continued watching her feet as she and Ino walked down the street together. It was a rare thing when both of them got done at the same time but Sakura was grateful for it today, even though she suspected strongly that Tsunade had told Ino to go home early. She smiled tightly as Ino dropped a comforting arm around her shoulder to give a friendly squeeze. "Think about it like this," the blonde girl offered dismissively, trying to cheer her friend up. "One, at least you were still wearing your underwear." She grinned when Sakura let out an amused snort and rocked the pink-haired girl into a quick hug before continuing. "Two… your ass really isn't half bad. Not nearly as nice as mine, but it's not repulsive."

"Get real, Pig! My ass is _sooo_ much better than yours!"

"And three," Ino continued louder, cutting Sakura off before she could explain just _what_ made her ass so much better. "You're really looking at this the wrong way."

"Oh, really? There's a _good_ way to look at everyone hating you?" Sakura mumbled before turning around to glare at whoever had just whistled at them.

It wasn't too hard to find the culprit, seeing as he was still staring at them. The guy flashed a grin at Sakura before his gaze slid to her ass meaningfully. "What're you wearing today, Pink?" he called mockingly.

Before Sakura could even respond, Ino whipped around and screamed, "Can it, pervert!" Apparently the look on Ino's face was particularly terrifying because the man was pretty quick about leaving the scene, his cheeks a little too pale to be healthy. A few people looked from him to the two girls and back again curiously before returning to their daily routine, deciding that it really wasn't worth the effort to investigate further. Only a couple gazes lingered inquisitively on Sakura, probably trying to decide if she really was the girl in the flyers.

Huffing angrily as she sent one last glare after the fleeing man, Ino crossed her arms under her breasts and snapped, "Yes, Forehead, there are _several_ good things about dating Kakashi-sensei that you're completely overlooking."

Arching a disbelieving brow, Sakura asked, "Such as…?"

"Such as the fact that _you_ are dating Copy Ninja Kakashi and those jealous cows aren't."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura crossed her arms petulantly across her chest and said dryly, "Hey, if they wanna put up with him _constantly_ saying and doing things to piss them off, then they're more than welcome to him!" She yelped sharply when Ino smacked the back of her head hard. "_Pig!_"

"Are you seriously so dense?" Ino shouted back, unrepentant over the fact that her roommate was pouting as she rubbed the back of her abused head. "Think about it, Forehead; you're dating one of _the_ best ninja in our village. Hell, possibly the best ninja in all the villages combined! That'll be a major boost to your popularity when you break up with him!"

"… That's mean, Ino. I can't use him like that."

Groaning in frustration, Ino ground her teeth hard and made as if she were about to strangle Sakura. "You're _not_ gonna use him at all, idiot! You don't have to do a damn thing except be seen with him!"

Sakura stuck her tongue out and met Ino's glare steadily. "That's still pretty crappy. What I'm doing is bad enough as it is." Things were going to be awkward enough after she broke it off with him, she didn't even want to _think_ about making things worse than they were.

"Speaking of what you're doing… how's that going anyway?" Ino asked slyly, giving Sakura a conspiratorial nudge with her elbow as she changed the subject to one she thought was much more interesting.

Shrugging noncommittally, Sakura wrinkled her nose and teetered one hand back and forth. "Okay, I guess, seeing as we've only been on three dates. He said he's gonna take me out when he gets back…" Which he wasn't… yet. Seriously, how long did it take a guy to walk home from Grass Country with a bunch of captives? Sighing, Sakura shrugged and smiled up at Ino. "But at least he's interested, right?"

Ino's eyes narrowed as she thoughtfully tapped her lips. "Hmm," she hummed. "That's all well and good, but I think we need to kick things up a bit. I mean, interested is nice… but we want him _drooling_ over you. You're used to dating boys where all you need to do is wink at them and they're eating out of your hand. Kakashi-sensei's a _man_. Men are definitely harder to reel in."

"First of all," Sakura replied sharply, her growing irritation with Ino and her superiority complex starting to break loose. "What the hell do _you_ know about dating men versus boys? Second of all… what exactly do you have in mind?"

Smirking, the blonde flicked her hair back with the air of someone leagues above her peers. "Which of us has experience again?" she crooned haughtily. "Oh, that's right… _me._"

Rolling her eyes irritably, Sakura snapped, "Looks to me like I've been doing pretty good without your help, O Experienced One! Seeing as he asked to take me out as soon as he gets back, I'd say that means he's a little more than just interested."

"Time out a moment," Ino interjected sharply as she ticked her points off in her fingers. "Don't go making that forehead of yours any bigger by getting conceited. You've dated a grand total of three people that I know of, all of which were under twenty-five. The most you've let any of them do with you is a little groping-,"

"_Ino!_" Sakura hissed angrily as she quickly glanced around to see if anyone had heard. It was bad enough all of Konoha got a sneak peek inside her underwear drawer, she didn't need stupid Ino-pig's big mouth blurting out her love life too!

"_Please_, Sakura! Like having some twit grab your ass at a party is anything to write home about," the blonde continued scathingly, uncaring that her friend's cheeks now rivaled her shirt in color. "All I'm saying is that you've gotta step your game up. Being cute is only gonna get you so far with this one. You've gotta discover your inner sex kitten and bring that out. Otherwise, Kakashi-sensei's not gonna stay interested for very long."

"I don't _have_ an inner sex kitten," Sakura railed through gritted teeth. "What's wrong with being me?"

"Being you is all well and good… except being you means he's gonna view you as his former student. You want him to see you as a _woman_, someone he could potentially –but won't- take home and fuck all night."

Sakura covered her burning face with her hands and groaned loudly. "I can't believe you just said that," she moaned through her palms.

Snickering, Ino elbowed her side lightly and said, "Oh, come on! You're seriously going to tell you haven't thought once about taking things a little _further_ than is necessary for the assignment?"

"No!" Sakura snapped back quickly, but there was a guilty flicker to her eyes that made Ino break out into a wide, triumphant grin.

"Uh-huh. Sure, Sakura. You haven't thought about getting closer to Kakashi-sensei at _all_."

Her nose wrinkled as her lips twisted into an annoyed pout. Looking anywhere but at her friend, Sakura muttered, "Maybe." Hey, she couldn't help it if just thinking about the way he ran his fingers through her hair made her shiver… or how nice and warm he'd felt when she'd woken up in the hammock next to him… or the way his eye had seemed to trace her features, as if trying to memorize them without the use of the Sharingan… Sakura shook her head slightly and quickly sidestepped the power line pole she'd been about to walk into. Damn it… no thinking about Kakashi while walking! It was bad for her health.

"Sorry, what was that, Forehead?" The way Ino's eyes twinkled and her grin turned mischievous said that she had a pretty good idea of what had Sakura so deep in thought that she almost crashed enormous-forehead-first into a giant wooden pole.

"I said maybe! Jeez, Pig… you're so annoying sometimes!" Glowering at her friend, Sakura very firmly kept her attention on what was in front of her and _not_ on a certain infuriating ex-teacher.

"And you so live in denial sometimes. I can't blame you though. Kakashi-sensei is easily the hottest teacher around."

'How would you know? You haven't seen his face."

"And neither have you, so shut up!" Ino stuck her tongue out at Sakura's murderous glare before grinning and dropping her arm over her friend's shoulder. "I'm just teasing you, Forehead. I think it's funny that you've kissed the guy twice now and he's still managed to keep his mask on."

"Okay," Sakura said sharply, changing the subject quickly before Ino could get in another dig about the lack of lip action in her kisses. If she didn't get a proper kiss soon, Ino was never gonna let her live this down. "What do you think I should do to drive him mad?"

"Very simple; we need to sex you up."

"_What?"_ Sakura stopped walking completely and glared at Ino as the other girl rolled her eyes impatiently. She didn't give a damn if her screech had caused people to stare at them once again. What she wanted to know was what the hell Ino meant about 'sexing her up'. Surely she didn't mean… _that!_

"Calm _down_, would you? People are gonna think I just broke up with you or something," Ino grit out between her clenched teeth as she took hold of Sakura's arm roughly and dragged her along. "What I meant, prior to your freak out, was that we need to make you look less adorable and more sexy. Kakashi-sensei needs to move you out of the cute-interested into the I've-gotta-have-that-interested. So… that means a little shopping and a little open-mindedness on your part as far as wardrobe consideration."

"We're not gonna shop anywhere _too_ expensive… are we?" she fretted as she did some quick math in her head to gauge her funds. Ino had champagne taste when it came to clothes shopping, which was usually why she was consistently a little short on rent each month. If it weren't for the fact that Ino usually made up for the short payments by applying it to their utilities and groceries, Sakura wouldn't have tolerated it. But as for her own wardrobe… She honestly didn't think she could afford to buy any more new clothes this month, not unless she wanted to starve.

Ino's smile was anything but reassuring and Sakura sighed as she resigned herself to eating instant ramen for the next several months. "That's only part one of Operation Man Eater," the blonde happily informed her. "Part two depends entirely on you. You have _got_ to get more flirty with the man."

"Hi, Ino? What do you think I've been doing this entire time? I haven't punched him out for being a sneaky bastard, unbelievable pervert or a pain in the ass. I've initiated both kisses so far. _And_ I let him get away with gaping at my ass on the last date. Just what am I supposed to do, give him a lap dance- and no that was _not_ an honest suggestion so don't even think it!"

Pouting, Ino crossed her arms stubbornly and replied tersely, "Fine. I doubt you'd be good at it anyway."

"Pig, I swear to god…" Sakura shook her head but didn't finish the threat. She and Ino both knew she wasn't actually going to do anything to begin with, so why waste her time? Puffing an annoyed breath into her hair, Sakura muttered, "Like you'd be any better at it than me."

Laughing harshly, Ino declared, "At least I would have gotten that mask off of him by now! You, on the other hand, are still sucking cotton."

Growling angrily, Sakura stamped her foot hard enough to crack the compacted dirt and walked away from Ino briskly. That was _it!_ She'd had just about enough of Yamanaka Ino for one evening! "Aren't you supposed to meet your team or something?" she called over her shoulder to the laughing blonde.

"Aww, don't be sad, Forehead! Maybe someday you'll get a _real_ kiss," Ino mocked.

"Good_night_, Pig!" Sakura ignored her soon-to-be ex-friend's laughter and made her way through the crowded street down to the local grocery store she liked to shop in. The apartment was bone empty of anything remotely edible (besides some frozen cookie dough she'd made last weekend), which meant if she wanted dinner she had to stop and get something. Cooking wasn't exactly her forte but that didn't stop her from doing it anyway. She liked to do it, even though about ninety-percent of the time whatever she was cooking looked like it'd been the victim of a Katon no Jutsu. But seeing as Ino wasn't going to be there to ridicule her cooking skills (or lack of, according to the Pig), that meant she was free to experiment.

Suddenly, her evening wasn't looking so bad. No Ino meant she didn't have to hear anyone complain as she inevitably burnt her dinner. She also had total and complete control over the remote. The hot water was also all hers. But best of all… she didn't have to worry about any pranks waiting for her when she finally decided to go to bed. Sakura sighed happily as she pushed through the doors of the market and picked up a basket for her purchases. After the week she'd been having, nothing in the world sounded better than a night to herself.

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Ino chirped happily as she slid onto the open stool next to Chouji. Chouji made some sort of acknowledging noise around the mouthful of bread he was happily eating while Shikamaru raised his hand in the barest of waves. Sighing blissfully as she grabbed a menu, Ino flicked it open and began reading through the listed items. "Sorry I'm late. Sakura's been having a pretty craptastic week and needed a little bonding time."

"Is this about those stupid flyers I've seen around town?" Shikamaru asked, showing only mild curiosity for the topic.

"You bet! Her enormous forehead is now a prime target for anyone who was hoping to bag Copy Ninja Kakashi."

"Sucks to be her." Shikamaru yawned and leaned his cheek heavily on his fist. He really couldn't have cared less about the whole thing beyond the fact that it kept Ino entertained and off his back about finding a girlfriend. Yeah, right… Between his mom, his teammate and having to work closely with Temari from Suna on the upcoming chuunin exams, he was up to his eyeballs in bossy females and not liking it one bit. A girlfriend was about the _last_ thing he wanted!

Snickering wickedly, Ino slapped her menu down on the counter and leaned over Chouji to whisper excitedly, "I know! The really funny thing is… She's not dating him for real."

That instantly earned raised eyebrows from both her boys. "Whaddya mean by that?" Chouji whispered back as he reached for yet another sweet roll in the basket. He scowled at Ino as she slapped his hand disapprovingly before poking him in the gut.

"No more bread," Ino scolded. "Asuma-sensei said you need to drop a couple pounds, and you're not gonna do that by stuffing down the carbs!"

"The way I see it, rolls are made with flour, which comes from rice or wheat, which is a vegetable. So, I'm not having carbs. I'm having a serving of vegetables," Chouji reasoned with a bright grin as he snatched one of the rolls and bit into it with a satisfied groan.

Rolling her eyes, Ino settled for ignoring Chouji in favor of getting back to her gossip. "I wanted to talk to you about this anyway, Shikamaru, seeing as you're the local genius when it comes to strategies."

Moaning as he dropped his head heavily on the counter, Shikamaru complained, "Why me?" He yelped when Ino landed a solid whack to the back of his head and glared at Chouji's amused snort while rubbing the sore area. Jeez… Some friend, laughing at his abuse! Sighing in defeat, he grumbled, "Fine. What is it?"

Satisfied that he was being more agreeable, Ino said, "I can't tell you all the details, but Sakura's trying to get Kakashi-sensei's _Icha Icha_ books from him."

It was as if she'd just said the nine-tailed fox demon were about to come marching through Konoha in a tutu. Chouji choked on his roll and very nearly went sliding off of his stool from the coughing fit that followed. Shikamaru's eyes widened and his already pale skin turned such an unhealthy grey shade that it was a wonder he didn't pass out on the spot. At their continued, horrified silence, Ino arched a brow and tapped one nail on the countertop with impatient irritation. "Are you two finished acting like a couple of idiots?" she drawled mockingly.

It took Shikamaru a couple more seconds of paralyzed silence before he managed to shake his head and gasp out, "Why?" That had to be the most _stupid_ thing he'd ever heard of someone trying to do in his entire life! Not even Naruto was dumb enough to try a stunt like that.

"I told you… I can't tell you why," the blonde girl persisted, uncaring that Chouji was staring at the basketful of rolls like they were poisoned. "All I can say is that she's not allowed to ask him for the books. She can't blackmail them out of his grasp. And she can't get _a certain person of importance_ involved either."

Shikamaru snorted and rolled his eyes and muttered, "Figures the Hokage would be involved somehow."

"I never said she was, and you'd do well not to say she was either," Ino snapped, pinning her lazy teammate with a hard glare. "Just leave it at Sakura is attempting to remove _Icha Icha_ from Hatake Kakashi's possession, got it?"

"Yeah, I've got it. Not that I really care either way…" Shikamaru flinched as Ino drew her hand back, warning him silently that he was going to get another smack if he didn't at least pretend some interest. Rubbing a hand down his face despairingly, he grumbled, "Fine. What's the plan so far?"

Ino's grin brightened considerably now that she knew Shikamaru was on board. "Well," she began proudly, folding her hands on the sticky countertop primly. "It was decided that Sakura needed to get close to him to gain his trust."

"Which explains why she's dating him," Chouji interjected with an understanding nod. He cared about as much as Shikamaru did for the topic, but if it mattered to Ino… He'd at least make some kind of effort to pay attention to the important parts.

"Wait… you're saying Sakura's trying to seduce him into handing over his books?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

"Sort of. She's dating him to get close enough to steal his books," Ino corrected smugly.

There was a long pause where Ino continued to beam, Chouji continued to eat and Shikamaru continued to stare at her like she was completely insane. Finally, the dark haired boy closed his eyes and declared, "It's not gonna work."

Instantly, Ino slammed her palms on the counter and whirled on him angrily. "Whaddya mean it's not gonna work? It's already _started_ to work, seeing as he keeps asking her out!"

"Hey, you're the one who asked for my opinion in the first place. Jeez…" Huffing crossly, Shikamaru slid the bowl of ramen that the waitress had just brought out closer to him and began stirring the contents with his spoon. This was such a total drag. Had he known dinner out with his teammates was gonna be an interrogation session, he would have just stayed home.

Ino growled and threw her arms up into the air, almost knocking the fried gyoza from Chouji's chopsticks in the process. Chouji gasped in horror and quickly held his hand out to catch the dumpling before it could meet an untimely death on the floor. As he turned to inform Ino just how close that had been, Chouji forgot all about his dinner as the blonde snapped, "You are so damn lazy, Nara Shikamaru! You're just saying that because you don't wanna help out!"

"I _don't_ wanna get involved with this. And I didn't say the plan failed just because I was being lazy either," the dark haired boy replied, annoyance creeping through in his voice. "If you were smart, you'd get Sakura to back out of it ASAP."

Both boys looked up as Ino stood so abruptly that she nearly toppled her stool right over. She was already out the door before either of them could do a thing to stop her. Chouji stared after her for a moment before sighing in disappointment and returned to his dinner. Only now… he really wasn't so hungry. He idly pushed one of the gyoza around his plate with a chopstick. Damn it, why did Shikamaru have to go and say something like that? Now Ino was gonna be mad at both of them because she thought Shikamaru had called her an idiot.

Chouji turned to look at Shikamaru when he felt a sharp nudge to his side. His brows furrowed in confusion as Shikamaru kept shooting meaningful looks toward the door. Glancing back around again, Chouji tried to see what it was Shikamaru was trying to get him to look at. People… more people… a dog chasing a cat… that same dog getting chased by a group of cats… Turning back to his friend, Chouji shrugged and said, "What?"

Shikamaru's face scrunched into one of mild irritation as he grabbed Chouji under one arm and hauled him to his feet. "Will you just go after her already?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I just gave you a guaranteed dinner alone with her, but only if you go _now_!"

Suddenly, it all made perfect sense. Shikamaru had purposely said it like that to piss Ino off and make her leave so that Chouji could go after her and console her. It was brilliant… and also one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him. He knew Ino was gonna give Shikamaru a massive dose of hell during their next training session for this. Grinning, Chouji managed a quick, "You're awesome, Shikamaru!" before he was jogging out the door after their irate teammate.

Ino hadn't stormed off very far, but by the time he caught up with her, Chouji was out of breath. "Ino… hold up," he gasped, dropping a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"What do you want?" she snapped, whipping around so swiftly that her ponytail nearly took out a woman's eye. There was such venom in her blue eyes that Chouji gulped and wished he'd just stayed at the restaurant with Shikamaru.

"Um…" he began, sweat beading along his face as Ino arched a brow and began tapping her foot impatiently. "Y-you haven't… I mean… You wanna get some dinner still?"

Ino's foot stopped its rapid beat and her features softened to a less lethal degree. "What, you mean just us?" she questioned suspiciously.

God… he was gonna be sick. When she said it like that, it made it sound like a date, which it technically wasn't but sort of was since they would be alone together. Swallowing hard as he fought off the lightheaded feeling that swam over him, Chouji nodded quickly. He didn't trust himself to speak right then, not without spilling gyoza all over her feet.

Giving her hair a flick to send it back over her shoulder, Ino took a deep breath and released it slowly. Smoothing her hands down her skirt, she assumed a cool, haughty demeanor and said as if bestowing a tremendous favor, "Sure, why not? But _I_ get to pick the place!"

Chouji knew his grin had to be ridiculous looking but he didn't care. He was going to have Ino all to himself for the evening. Nodding once again, he said, "Okay with me."

Ino's sudden smile made his breath catch, and when she suddenly looped her arm around his, he could have sworn his heart stopped for a couple of vital seconds. Completely unaware of the affect she had on him, Ino began to pull him down the street. "Great! There's this vegetarian restaurant I've been _dying_ to try!"

* * *

Tsunade groaned under her breath as the person on the other side of her door did the worst thing they could have possibly done; they tapped out shave-and-a-haircut on her door way. Everyone knew she hated that. _Everyone!_ Shizune was constantly telling people before they knocked not to do that or they were liable to have a desk lamp chucked at their head. There was only one person Tsunade knew of who ignored the warnings… and who had remarkable ducking reflexes.

"Get in here, Kakashi," she growled, leaning forward to settle her elbows on her desk to keep herself from throwing things at him. The elders hadn't been too happy to receive last month's bill for office supplies. Fourteen lamps, eleven paperweights and thirty-two pens later and the bastard still had the nerve to use that knock.

The door opened and a happily creased eye winked at her as Kakashi stepped in. "Good evening, Hokage-sama," he said cheerfully as he stuck his hands in his pockets and moved to stand in front of her desk. "Did Shizune hide the sake on you again?"

Snorting, Tsunade tossed the man a wry smile and said, "She did, so it'd be in your best interest to show a modicum of decorum while in my office."

"Ah… then I suppose me and my sake should just come back in the morning then?"

That perked her interest surer than a solid lead on a good bet. Arching a brow, Tsunade motioned for Kakashi to pull up a chair while she slid the top drawer of her desk open and pulled out two little ceramic cups. The cups were the remains of a sake set Jiraiya had purchased for her nearly thirty years prior. The porcelain had been a lovely red color with faint copper glazing over it, but now it was almost a deep coral from use and wear during the long years of travel. Still… sake never tasted as good as it did in those cups.

Kakashi pulled a shuriken from behind his back, did a quick release seal and a bottle of sake appeared in his hands with a soft 'poof'. He pulled the stopper out of the fresh bottle and poured the clear liquid into the two cups before dropping into the nearest seat with a contented sigh.

Tsunade couldn't help smiling as he tugged his mask down and rubbed a hand across his exposed eye wearily. The look on his face said he'd been through hell and back again without getting a souvenir. "Dare I even ask how it went?" she murmured as she picked up one of the cups.

He followed suit, sipping the strong alcohol slowly with a thoughtful frown to his lips. "If I tell you now, does that mean I still have to do a mission report?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. Of course you still need to fill out a report."

"In that case… you'll know in the next couple days."

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade snapped back, "That report better not be a one line summary either. None of this 'we laid down the law' crap either."

Kakashi broke out into a wide grin at that, one that made his already handsome face become even more so. Not for the first time, Tsunade wished she were maybe twenty years younger again just so she could drag him to the nearest bed and teach him a thing or two. She always did like the pretty ones, and Kakashi certainly was that… in the most masculine of terms, of course. She doubted the Copy Ninja would appreciate being called pretty, however sincere the compliment.

"I thought that one was rather clever," he joked, slouching even further in his chair to stretch his legs out in front of him.

"Your brand of clever is _not_ appreciated on official reports. A full report, Kakashi, or I'll assign an ANBU guard to stand over your shoulder while you write it,"

"Seeing as I know most of the ANBU guards, I could just talk them into writing it for me,"

Tsunade scoffed and tipped back her sake in one go. "I don't care, just so long as I have that report on my desk, with _proper_ mission related detail, in two days." The last time she hadn't specified details, he'd written twelve pages of pornography that very nearly rivaled Jiraiya's in mature content. Needless to say, she hadn't been amused. Poor Shizune, who'd had the misfortune of reading it before she had, still couldn't look the man in the face without turning beet red.

Sighing as if this were the biggest inconvenience she'd ever asked of him, Kakashi grumbled, "Fine… But only because you didn't beam me in the head with a paperweight."

"Sorry, I threw the last one at Genma earlier today." She smirked at the wince that crossed his features and barely suppressed a chuckle from breaking out. Kakashi knew she loved nothing more than making Genma squirm like a slug doused in salt. Seeing as she was in the role of both mother _and_ father for Shizune, she felt it was her right to haze her assistant's lover within an inch of his life.

The fact that Genma hasn't gone running for the hills yet said quite a bit about him. It meant he wasn't just using Shizune to gain an ear with the Hokage, like some of the others had. Genma truly cared for her… but that didn't mean Tsunade was going to stop tormenting him any time soon. And right about now, she could imagine Kakashi was silently weighing whether or not he should say anything about the fact that he was now dating her apprentice. It was a very rare opportunity to have the Copy Ninja pinned down like this, and she had every intention of savoring it.

Leaning forward as she poured herself another cup of sake, Tsunade drawled gleefully, "So… I hear you've taken up with Sakura now."

"Taken up is a bit strong," Kakashi hedged, draining off his own sake before taking the bottle she passed to him.

"Oh? And what would you call it?" she pressed, smirking as the man shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

Shrugging, Kakashi set the bottle on her desk again and looked anywhere but at her as he mumbled, "Perhaps 'testing the waters' would be more accurate."

_That_ made her eyes narrow dangerously. She didn't care if Sakura was seeing him under her orders. _No one_ 'tested waters' on _her _apprentice. "I'm warning you now, Hatake… That phrase about hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? You screw up with Sakura, her fury won't even hold a candle to what I'll do to you," she threatened.

He nodded slowly, his fingers tapping thoughtfully against his cup as he regarded her with a calm, cool look. "Duly noted. Thank you for the warning, Hokage-sama. Did you say the same thing to Genma?"

Snorting, Tsunade eased back in her chair and muttered, "Perhaps." She smiled at his chuckle as she began swiveling back and forth in her chair. "So… back to the mission. I received a formal complaint against you from Hidden Grass."

"That was fast."

"There will probably be a review of this by the elders."

Kakashi shrugged unconcernedly and sipped his sake. "Okay. It's been a while since I've had a conduct review but I'm confident it'll all come back to me pretty quickly."

Nodding in satisfaction that Kakashi could handle being brought before the counsel for possible misconduct charges, Tsunade said, "I heard that some of the prisoners the ANBU squad relieved you of had Sound insignia on them."

Kakashi nodded slowly. To anyone who didn't know him well, it would have appeared that her comment hadn't affected him in the least. But Tsunade had gotten to know her best jounin fairly well over the last couple years and was now fairly capable of picking out the subtle nuances in his expression. A slight tightening to his lips, the way he stared at a spot on her desk… It bothered him more than he was letting on that some of the captives were Sound ninja.

Sighing as she reached for the bottle, Tsunade asked, "Why did you request to be taken off the teaching roster, Kakashi?"

Scratching at the barely noticeable stubble that covered his cheek, he shrugged and said, "I don't particularly like kids."

"Who does?" She smiled as he gave a faint chuckle and raised his cup in a quick toast. Waiting until he'd finished drinking, Tsunade tapped a nail against the side of her cup and murmured, "You did everything you could for him. Just because one student chose the wrong path, that doesn't mean you're a bad teacher."

"One student out of three isn't a very good ratio for success, now is it?" he countered, a touch of bitterness creeping into his tone.

Tsunade waved off his comment with an irritated flick of her wrist. "If you're going to wallow in self-loathing, do it elsewhere. I refuse to drink with a bitter drunk."

"I want to be there when those men are interrogated."

Ah… So that explained the unexpected gift of sake. She should have known to look this particular gift horse in the mouth. "Request denied. That's Ibiki's job, not yours," she replied tersely while subtly scooching the sake bottle closer to her. She'd be damned if he thought he was going to storm out of her office with it.

"I don't want to conduct it. I just want to be there."

Tsunade knew the reason why he wanted to observe the interrogation; he wanted to make certain Uchiha Sasuke was still alive. He already blamed himself for the boy's decision to go with Orochimaru. If the Uchiha was dead, Kakashi would probably never forgive himself. That was why she didn't want him observing the interrogation. Guilt made even the best do stupid things, and she couldn't afford to lose the best ninja in the village to emotional irrationality. Still… she understood where he was coming from. To not know whether a loved one was alive or dead was a type of fear no words could describe. Even if that person was dead, the agony of not having finality was hell.

Sighing as she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, Tsunade said, "I can't let you in that interrogation room, Kakashi."

She heard him release a heavy breath and set his cup on her desk. The chair creaked as he stood. "I understand, Hokage-sama." His footsteps were barely heard as he made his way back to the door to leave her alone with the remainder of the bottle.

"However," she called out, slowly opening her eyes enough to watch him as he stopped, mask fixed in place once again and with one hand on the door. "Should you happen to be in the ANBU headquarters tomorrow morning around six and happen be in the observation area of room twelve… I can't do anything about coincidence, now can I?"

She didn't need the mask to be down to know that a grateful smile was curving his lips. It was evident in the way his shoulders sagged just a touch more and the soft sound of his held breath leaving him. "No, you really can't," he replied softly. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at her, just long enough for her to catch the relieved look in his eye, before he slipped out the door.

Smiling to herself, Tsunade drained the sake from her cup and immediately reached for the bottle. Coincidence was such a funny thing sometimes.

* * *

This had to be the first time he'd left the Hokage's office without having something thrown at his head. It seemed a little wrong to break with tradition, but at the same time… he really wasn't in the mood to be dodging office accessories anyway. It had only taken four days to walk back with the captives, but those had to be the longest four days of his life. Nine prisoner nin to keep an eye on, two heavy downpours and one white dog constantly pestering him about when he'd get to see Sakura-chan again… Yeah. He was mentally kicking himself for leaving the sake with Tsunade.

The protocol for interrogating prisoners clearly stated that those with a personal interest were _not_ to do the questioning. The reasoning for this was very simple; those with a personal interest very rarely looked out for the best interest of the village. That didn't mean he hadn't given it a try while he'd had the captives for four days. He'd tried the buddy approach to questioning; be nice and find some common ground. After three days of polite, cheerful conversation with tense, nervous men, he'd finally found his common ground with a few of the men. Sakura.

Well… not Sakura specifically, but women. Jubei's constant pestering about wanting to get back so he could see her had led to one of the men tentatively asking if that was Kakashi's lover. Naturally, he begrudgingly told the man she was while adding it was pretty embarrassing that his dog seemed to prefer her more. That had effectively shut Jubei up for the remainder of the night. It had also opened a few of the prisoners up to talking about their own lovers… but little else, sadly.

Needless to say, his last day of traveling with the prisoners had been the equivalent of hell with a healthy dose of discomfort on the side. All the captives wanted to talk about then were their girlfriends, lovers, wives, past flings… Basically, information he _really_ didn't need to know about some of those men. Like the one with the pierced… Kakashi flinched and refused to finish the thought. The only thing he would say about that was 'no way in hell'. He didn't give a damn _how_ gorgeous the man claimed she was, that was one kink he was _not_ into.

It was a relief when the ANBU squad found him today and took the prisoners away. He did feel a little sorry for a couple of the men who were going to be under Ibiki's tender care tomorrow morning. Had they all met under different circumstances, he was fairly certain they would have gotten along fairly well. But… That's how it went sometimes.

Kakashi continued walking with _Icha Icha Paradise_ in hand despite the fact that he wasn't really reading it. He had too much on his mind right now for even his beloved book to distract him. Now, the book was serving another purpose; a shield of sorts. Except for those who knew him fairly well, most people generally left him alone if it looked like he was reading. It helped him avoid silly questions, like how he was doing and where he was going. No one really wanted him to answer those questions anyway. _'Hi, I'm doing lousy thanks. One of my students ran off with a complete sociopath, and tomorrow I get to go watch potential comrades of his spill their guts (perhaps literally) about said sociopath's last location. Doesn't it sound like a fabulously good time?'_ Yeah… It was best that people didn't ask him questions like that, not right now.

At that point in time, all he wanted was to go home and eat. The only problem with that was that he was certain the contents of his fridge had evolved into a mutant society of extremely advanced fungi and bacterial growth. Sometimes, he wondered what the point of having a refrigerator was, seeing as he always had to clean it out whenever he went on an extended mission. If it weren't for the fact that his apartment would start to smell like a corpse, he wouldn't even bother to…

Kakashi's train of thought promptly derailed as he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped dead in his tracks, much to the annoyance of the people shuffling behind him, and took two steps back to be certain he was seeing things correctly. Blinking slowly, Kakashi stared at the outer wall of the bar for several seconds, his brain working far to slow to process what he was seeing.

There on the wall, amidst worn flyers and posters advertising various bands, was a freshly placed flyer. And on that flyer was a black and white picture of a girl with her ass in the air, the gap in her hospital gown showing off a pair of scanty panties with giant kiss marks on each cheek. He knew in an instant whose ass that was. He'd spent an entire hike staring at it, after all.

Apparently, porn gods really did exist because it certainly wasn't his birthday. Glancing around to see if anyone was really watching him, Kakashi very carefully peeled the flyer off the wall, folded it up and stuck it in the back of _Icha Icha Paradise_ for safe keeping. A smile curved his lips as he began walking again. No, he wasn't going to sleep with her… but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to fantasize about it. Besides, he was performing a civic service by removing such blatantly pornographic propaganda from the streets to protect the innocent eyes of youngsters everywhere.

No one needed to know he was going to carefully store it with the rest of his magazines. Just let them think Hatake Kakashi was a model citizen for preventing the corruption of youth. If Gai were there, he'd probably shed tears of joy.

Feeling much better about his evening now that he had that little gem in his possession, Kakashi entered the first grocery store he came across that was still open. He grabbed a basket from the stack just inside the door and made his way to the canned goods aisle, all without once putting his book away. He hated grocery shopping. It was always crowded and noisy, mostly from the kiddies screeching at their mothers for some sort of treat. The stores always smelled the same; a wretched mixture of cheap cleaning chemicals with an underlying of old produce, fish and stale dairy from past spills that hadn't been cleaned up properly. Each store was always organized differently, so he never knew where exactly to find the microwave soups. Were they with instant meals or with canned vegetables?

But… he needed to eat, and he didn't really feel like sniffing at containers of food to guesstimate whether or not they'd send him to the hospital if he ate them. Poisoned by his own food… Tsunade would never let him hear the end of it. Kakashi found the aisle with the instant dinners (located with the gravy/sauce mixes and rice this time) and tucked _Icha Icha _away in order to select his dinner. Hmm… The vegetable ramen was always pretty good, but seeing as he'd been eating nothing but rehydrated food for the last two weeks it probably wouldn't do his digestive system any good. The canned sukiyaki wasn't bad, but it was pretty heavy and he certainly didn't feel like loading his poor stomach down before going to bed. Perhaps a nice chicken soup would be-

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi froze with his hand still curled around the can of instant chicken soup at the sound of that familiar voice. For a moment, it almost felt like his heart had skipped a beat… but that was more than likely due to surprise at bumping into her after just tucking a photo of her underwear clad ass into his book. Kakashi smiled as Sakura continued to gape at him like he was a ghost and said, "Hello, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes were still a little wide as she approached him slowly, clearly just as surprised as he was to run into her in such a mundane place as the grocery store. "You're back," she said softly, as if she were still trying to convince herself of this.

"Yup. Just got in a few hours ago."

He wasn't at all prepared for the hard smack she landed to his arm, or the accusing snarl of, "You're late! You said it'd only take eleven days tops!"

"Um… sorry?" he offered with a sheepish shrug.

Sakura arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest, her own basket of groceries still clutched in one hand. "What? No lame excuse about getting lost while escorting a poor stray kitten home?" she taunted.

"… Actually, it was an injured rabbit this time. You should have seen it, all shaking and huddled under a bush. You'd have to be heartless to leave it there, awaiting certain death."

A smile quirked at the corners of her lips as she tried to maintain a stern expression. Glancing away from him, she muttered, "Well, I guess that reconfirms the fact that you're not completely heartless."

Kakashi grinned at her joke and released his breath in relief. Nodding toward her basket, he asked, "Dinner?"

Sakura nodded back, her fingers fiddling with the top of some bok choy peeking out of a plastic bag. "Yeah, Ino went out for the evening and we don't have anything to eat… well, except for some frozen cookie dough, but that's not really a proper meal. And all of those frozen dinners always have so much sodium in them, which isn't very good for-,"

She broke off talking as he moved closer to her and began poking at the things in her basket curiously. In addition to the bok choy, there was some diced up chicken, fresh lemon grass, rice noodles… deodorant. Kakashi picked up the antiperspirant and examined it while Sakura's cheeks burned brightly, her jaw tensed with annoyance. "Interesting choice of seasoning here," he mused jokingly before she grabbed the item and shoved it underneath what looked like a bag of ginger root.

"At least I give a damn about personal hygiene," she snapped, jerking her basket away from his inspection. "You smell like you crawled into every dumpster between here and Suna!"

"Perhaps I didn't mention this, but I _just_ got back from a mission."

"That's no excuse to slack off on cleanliness." As if his smell had suddenly gotten much worse (though he honestly didn't think he smelled _that_ bad to begin with), Sakura took a step away from him and wrinkled her nose distastefully. "Maybe you should go down the personal hygiene aisle too. There's a sale on soap; buy one, get one free."

"Really? That's a good deal."

Sakura nodded sagely, though the glitter of amusement in her green eyes took away the image of someone who knew better than he did. "No limit either."

Kakashi gave a thoughtful hum as he tapped a finger against his lips, assuming the very picture of pensiveness. "Thanks for the tip… but I think I'll pass for now. Don't want to take away from others in desperate need of washing, you know."

Rolling her eyes as a full out smile finally made its way onto her face, Sakura said sarcastically, "How very thoughtful of you."

He laughed under his breath and shrugged as if he'd already known that fact. "You know me, always looking out for others. But it seems I'm keeping you from your deodorant flavored dinner."

Sakura shifted hesitantly, chewing her lower lip in a way that was disarmingly innocent. "Right," she mumbled, her fingers once again picking at the bok choy uneasily.

A light dusting of pink colored her cheeks as Kakashi reached out and tucked a section of hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips slide along her jaw lightly in the process. "'Night, Sakura," he said softly, smiling at she sucked in her breath sharply at his touch. Then, he turned and began walking down the aisle as if he had further shopping to do. It was all about making a great exit, after all. He'd wait until she was finished checking out before swinging back through to grab-

"Kakashi… do you want to have dinner with me tonight?"

Kakashi came to a halt at the end of the aisle as she blurted out the question and turned back to face her. She wasn't blushing like he'd expected her to be, but there was a hesitancy to her eyes that said she'd spoken without really thinking the question through and was just now realizing that perhaps she shouldn't have done that. However… there was also a trace of hopefulness in those lovely green eyes that perhaps he'd say yes.

Just to be certain they were on the same page, Kakashi asked slowly, "You mean… dinner at your place? As in you're going to cook?"

Instantly, her body snapped rigid with contained ire as she growled out, "Look, I don't know what you've heard about my cooking, but it's _not_ as bad as-,"

"I'd like that."

His response immediately sucked all the indignant rage right out of her, leaving her staring at him with parted lips and startled eyes. "O-Oh," she stammered, clearly flustered that he'd agreed. "Okay, um… We should probably get some more ingredients then."

Nodding as an amused smile tugged at his lips, Kakashi deposited his empty basket on a display of cereal boxes and walked back over to her. She held his gaze the entire time as he reached out and took the basket from her, purposely letting his hand brush against hers. "We probably should," he agreed. This wasn't exactly how he'd planned on spending his evening, but it'd been a while since he'd had home-cooked anything where he wasn't the one doing the cooking. Besides, she said she had frozen cookie dough at her place. That alone was plenty of incentive to take her up on the invitation.

Smiling almost shyly at him, Sakura began backing toward the end of the aisle once more, crooking her finger to indicate he should follow her. "Lemongrass and ginger chicken with vegetables sound good?"

It sounded like sheer bliss to his processed food abused mouth. "If it tastes as good as it sounds, I might have to marry you," he joked.

"…Maybe I should just buy some wasabi paste and bread instead."

Sakura's laughter was warm as he gave a dramatic sigh and turned a disappointed face down toward the tiled floor. He arched a brow questioningly as she looped an arm around his and gave his bicep a reassuring hug… One that allowed his elbow a good feel of her soft breasts. Whether it was intentional or completely without thinking on her part, he wasn't sure. Either way though… he wasn't going to make her let go. His elbow was very, _very_ lucky right now. "I'd hate to make you change your dinner plans because of me, so maybe we should hold off on the wedding plans for now," he deadpanned.

This time when she laughed, he could feel it vibrate from the contact of her chest to his arm. The light movement made her breasts shift against his elbow in a way that very nearly tore a groan from him. Never before had he thought of his elbow as being particularly erogenous… but then again, he'd never really had it buried against a supple young woman's chest before. When Sakura released his arm in order to get some more bok choy, Kakashi actually had to catch himself from dragging her back to where she had been.

Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to say yes to dinner at her place. He was tired, he apparently smelled bad and he was getting turned on through contact made by his elbow. The signs were clearly pointing to this evening being an exercise in restraint. It was too late to back out now, though. Sakura came back over to him, beaming happily as she added the items she'd selected to their basket and took his free hand. "I think that'll do it," she said cheerfully as she pulled him toward the check out. "Don't think this gets you out of taking me to a nice place now. I bought a new dress that'll probably make your nose bleed in the spot."

"… So what does it look like?"

"That's a surprise," she teased, flashing a smile of pure wickedness at him as she bagged the groceries and headed for the exit. "You'll just have to wait until next time, won't you?"

Damn it… he really should have risked potential food poisoning and just gone home. Now all he was going to think about during dinner was what this mysterious dress looked like.


	13. The Door Is Open

She had to be insane. That was the _only_ reason she could think of for just randomly inviting Kakashi over to her apartment for dinner. Sakura glanced at the man walking alongside her, one hand tucked into a pants pocket while the other carried one of the bags of groceries. He'd surprised her a little by taking the bag she'd held out to him without a word of complaint. Maybe it was just that she was used to shopping with Ino, who refused to carry _anything_ if she could help it, but the fact that he was being agreeable about it was rather nice.

Still didn't change the fact that she was the biggest idiot in all of Konoha. All she could hope for now was that Kakashi didn't think her invitation to dinner meant anything beyond that. God… she was so _stupid!_ Of course it sounded like she wanted to take him back to her place for sex! Well, if that's what he thought he had no one to blame but his own perverted nature when she threw his ass out for getting fresh with her.

What had her even more worried than him getting the wrong signals about coming over was the dinner itself. Truth be told… her cooking was probably as bad as rumor had it. It didn't seem to matter how fine the ingredients were or how carefully she kept her eye on them. Somehow, she always ended up with a kitchen full of smoke and nothing that looked like it belonged outside of a garbage can. It was pretty depressing, really, but she had no idea what she did wrong. Her mom was an outstanding cook, and so were her grandmother and her uncle. Why, in the name of all that was holy, did that particular gene skip by her in favor of giving her an enormous forehead and no breasts? It wasn't fair!

All she could do now was hope for the best and pray that the neighbors wouldn't be too mad over the smoke alarms going off _again_. They were generally nice people, but having every meal time punctuated with that god-awful screeching sound was taxing.

"So," Kakashi drawled, his voice disrupting her worried thoughts as well as the silence that had fallen on them since leaving the grocery store. Sakura jolted a little at the sound of it and mentally kicked herself for not having initiated any conversation sooner. "Not to mix business with pleasure, but how's Kotetsu doing?"

"Oh, he's fine!" Sakura replied quickly as she smiled up at him. Even though he didn't sound particularly concerned, she'd been around him long enough to know that teammates were everything to him. "He actually just woke up today and was talking for a little bit."

"You mean he's been unconscious the whole time? I didn't think he'd taken any hits to the head."

"No, no! Nothing like that," she hastily added, touching his arm reassuringly. "I mean, his injuries were pretty bad, which is why Shizune put him into an induced sleep of sorts, but he'll be back on the mission roster within a couple months."

For some reason, this didn't seem to make Kakashi entirely too happy. It was faint, but she'd still caught the slight flinching near his visible eye. "Hey," she said softly, grabbing his sleeve to stop him from walking further.

Kakashi turned to face her, his heavily lidded eye betraying nothing as to what he was thinking. His expression was one of resigned patience, almost like he knew what she was about to say and had no choice but to hear it. For some reason, her mind flashed back to the time where he'd explained the relevance of the bell test to her, Naruto and Sasuke. He'd said the answer was so obvious… and perhaps it was here, too.

For as long as she'd known him, Kakashi had _always_ placed his team first, even above his own life. Hadn't he said before that he'd die to protect them? And now Kotetsu had come awfully close to dying on a mission where he was team leader… Chances were, Kakashi didn't want to hear that it wasn't his fault. Deep down, he probably knew it wasn't but that didn't change the fact that he'd almost lost a teammate. It was pointless to remind Kakashi there wasn't anything he could have done differently to prevent it from happening.

So, instead of saying what she knew was true, Sakura held his gaze steadily as she slowly reached over to take his hand. His eye widened slightly as she twined their fingers together. Sakura swallowed past the lump in her throat but didn't break eye contact with him in the least as she let him know silently that she got it. She didn't agree with him for thinking he'd failed Kotetsu… but she trusted him to figure that out on his own.

A soft breath escaped him, the sound bordering close to a relieved sigh. She could just make out the barest shift of his masked cheek in the dim streetlight overhead and knew that he was smiling at her. A warm thread of emotion twisted through her stomach, brought on by the fact that he was smiling and _she_ was the reason for it. Kakashi gave her hand a gentle squeeze, letting her know silently that he was grateful she'd let the matter drop.

Blushing as she gave him a bashful smile in response, Sakura glanced down at where she was digging her sandal into a crack in the pavement, suddenly unsure of what to do or say. She'd never really been in the position of offering comfort to Kakashi before and didn't know what to do now that everything was okay. If it were Ino, she would have broken out the ice cream and the nail polish by now. Something told her Kakashi wasn't the sort to get his nails manicured… but she had no idea how she was supposed to restore the happy mood from before.

Fortunately, Kakashi solved that problem for her by saying cheerfully, "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry enough to go dumpster diving. From what Pakkun tells me, the one behind Beni Hana's is pretty good."

Sakura barely stifled an amused giggle as she gave his hand a tug and started walking again. "Oh, so _that's_ why you smell like the inside of a garbage can," she teased. "You and the ninken were doing a comparative study on dumpster dining."

Kakashi's eye creased happily as he shrugged unconcernedly. "You'd be amazed at how well you can eat just be scraping off what's on top of the pile. Of course, you'll have to face off against an alley cat or two… but so long as they don't claw you anywhere vital, you can usually fend them off pretty easily."

"So, you're telling me that for two weeks you fought off rabid alley cats and feasted on the disposed of remains of other people's dinners behind restaurants?" Sakura rolled her eyes but couldn't quite manage to wipe the amused grin off her face. "Dare I even ask why you'd wanna do something like that?"

Feigning absolute seriousness, Kakashi replied in a grave tone, "Boredom can make a person do weird and unexpected things. Eat out of garbage cans just to see what it's like, take up knitting with senbon… distribute posters all over the village of them in their underwear."

Oh… dear god… "So… I take it you saw the flyers then?" she asked cautiously as her cheeks burned so hot she swore she could see steam rising from her head. It was foolish to think that Kakashi wouldn't ever see one of those flyers. After all, they _were_ literally everywhere. She just hadn't expected him to find out so quickly about it though. Not even twenty-four hours since he'd returned to Konoha... She wasn't sure if she should be impressed with his talent for tracking down the perverse of outraged that he didn't have the decency _not_ to mention it.

In response, Kakashi stopped walking and lifted his free hand to point across her body. Sakura followed the direction he was indicating and promptly wished she knew one of those transportation jutsu. Scowling, Sakura jerked her hand free from his and stomped over to the building that was sporting yet another flyer. She ripped the paper down so violently that it tore in half, one part clutched tightly in her hand while the other still clung stubbornly to the wall. Growling, she pulled the other half free, wadded the two sections together and threw them into the nearest trash can she saw.

Huffing angrily, Sakura marched back over to where Kakashi was still standing, what little she could see of his face arranged into a look of utter disappointment. "What a shame," he murmured, a trace of sadness lacing through his words. "That was a surprisingly good picture for being taken off a surveillance camera."

"Too bad," she snapped back. "I think you had more than ample time to gawk, don't you?

Kakashi arched a brow as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Considering it only took me about eight seconds to spot it before you so viciously tore it down, I'd say it wasn't nearly long enough," he replied evenly. "I was still trying to decide whether those were lip marks or eyes on your ass."

"They were lip marks, not that you really need to know. As in, you can kiss my ass and forget about dinner if you don't drop it!"

"So… You like the panties with the funny prints on them then? Does it matter if they're thongs or full coverage?"

"You know, most normal guys, upon returning from an extended trip, would have said something like, 'Hey, sweetie, how was your week?' But you? Nooooo… You just comment on the fact that some idiot in surveillance managed to catch me with my pants down!" Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face away from him, glaring at the same wall that until a few seconds ago had an image of her panties on it. Of all the people Tsunade had to blackmail her into dating, it had to be the one that was seriously bad for her blood pressure.

"First of all," Kakashi countered immediately as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "Your pants weren't even on from what I noticed. Second of all… hey, sweetie, how was your week?"

Growling, Sakura shoved him hard in the chest, causing him to rock back a step before regaining his balance. "Your sarcasm isn't appreciated right now," she bit out as she met his amused look angrily.

Chuckling, Kakashi's eye creased happily as he gave an innocent shrug. "Who's being sarcastic? You _are_ fairly sweet… when you're not looking like you want to punch a hole right through my head."

"Funny. That's exactly what I was thinking about doing." Sakura dipped out of reach quickly when he went to tap the tip of her nose with one finger.

"That answers the question of who's being sarcastic. Now, back to the other question; what's going on in the world of Haruno Sakura? Besides the obvious homicidal thoughts in regards to your charming, clever companion for the evening, that is."

Sakura shot him a wary glance. He was watching her expectantly, a flicker of mild amusement making his eye crinkle slightly at the corner. On the one hand, he seemed to be completely sincere about his interest. But on the other hand… since when had Hatake Kakashi ever truly been interested in what she did? Even on the first day she'd met him, when he'd asked about their hopes and dreams… it was very obvious he didn't really care. Eyes narrowing, Sakura cocked her hip to one side and shook her head slightly. "You don't really wanna know," she mumbled.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose slowly, as if he really couldn't believe she'd just said that. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked," he responded, his voice just as low as hers but with a thread of something a little less humored. He wasn't annoyed with her, not from what she could tell at least, but he was definitely more serious than before.

Shrugging and deciding to act on the off chance that he actually _was_ curious about what she'd done, Sakura shrugged and released a long, low breath before saying, "Well… Tsunade-shishou started teaching me about poisons."

Nodding encouragingly, Kakashi moved a step toward her and said, "Interesting. Is she teaching you how to mix poisons, extract them or both?"

Sakura felt her heart flutter a little as he took her hand and began walking once again. Still a little surprised that he was genuine about his request, she answered, "Just extraction for now. Eventually, I'll learn how to mix antidotes and poisons alike."

"Ah… that's relieving. I was afraid I'd have to take a rain check on tonight's dinner."

A smile was already forming on her lips before she could even think to stop it. She managed to keep it down to a begrudging smirk as she slid a glance at him from the corner of her eye. "Well, mixing it is only half the battle. Once the poison is mixed, you still need to administer it and that takes a little skill. Fortunately for me, my teacher is apparently a master in the art of poison administration. I'm sure with her help I'll pick it up pretty quickly."

"… I haven't told you yet that you're a very pretty girl, have I?"

Sakura turned to him with an arched brow and an expectant quirk to her lips. "Pretty?" she repeated, suggesting through her voice that he should reconsider his word choice.

Kakashi's eye crinkled shut as he rubbed the back of his neck in a wonderful display of sheepishness. "Sorry, I'm a little tired from the mission. What I meant to say was beautiful."

Laughing, she squeezed his hand comfortingly and said, "Don't worry, I won't poison you. Not unless you take me on another hiking trip again."

A quick cringe flashed across his face as he looked down at her. "Was it really that bad?" he asked.

She shook her head and adjusted her grip on the shopping bags still dangling from her free hand. "No, it wasn't a complete disaster. The dinner and movie part definitely made up for it. But if you ever, _ever_, combine training with a date again I'll make certain you wake up in the morning with the stomach ache from hell."

"If it comes down to that, I'll just be happy to be waking up at all."

Sakura laughed and bumped her hip against his playfully. Kakashi pressed her hand a little in answer with what looked almost like affection in his eye as he gazed down at her. It was such an unfamiliar look from her former teacher that it made her glance away from him uncertainly, a light blush rising in her cheeks. In a way, it was a little strange. He _was_ quite a bit older than herself, first of all. Then, of course, was the fact that he'd been her teacher. This was the same man who'd told her perfume was not permitted on missions before sending her running laps through the swamp just to further ingrain the lesson. To be holding his hand now while he looked at her like that was strange… but it also made that weird thing happen to her insides again.

She'd come to accept the fact that the twisting in her gut whenever he was around was _not_ nerves or a sudden bout of indigestion. It had taken four talks with Ino, plus an overheard conversation between two older medics, before she'd realized what was going on. She actually _liked_ dating Kakashi. That wasn't a bad thing at all, really. If anything, it made the job of dating him much more tolerable than she'd initially thought. It was easier to be flirty and seductive when she didn't mind being in his company so much.

Still though… was it really all that normal for her pulse to speed up whenever his thumb rubbed across her knuckles lightly? Or how about the warm feeling that made its way through her chest whenever she managed to make him smile? Sakura was pretty certain those signs pointed to something a little more than simply enjoying his company. The thing was… she wasn't entirely sure if she _would_ object to that.

It'd been over two years now since the boy she'd first given her heart to had disappeared. It made her sad still to think about Sasuke… but it was the same kind of sadness she felt whenever she thought of Naruto. If she were still in love with Sasuke, wouldn't it hurt more to think about him? The fact that she didn't feel the pain of loss particularly stronger for one of her teammates over the other told her quite a bit. It made her think that maybe… just maybe… she hadn't been as in love with Sasuke as she'd initially thought.

Sakura glanced up at Kakashi as subtly as she could, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully as she considered his profile. She'd been honest when she'd told Ino she'd been thinking about Kakashi a bit. Well… It was more like the invasive bastard had somehow found his way into her subconscious than any cognizant thought process on her part. She'd had a few dreams about him while he'd been gone. And by a few, she actually meant six, though she really wasn't counting that weird one where she'd opened the fridge to find him crammed in the small space, reading _Icha Icha Paradise _while drinking Ino's soy milk.

The other dreams were fairly standard with the exception of one. _That_ one… Whoa. Just… Whoa. She'd woken up with a flushed, heavy feeling throughout her body and an odd ache in the pit of her stomach. It was the same feeling she got whenever she read a particularly smutty section in one of Ino's romance novels. To have that same reaction to a dream involving him had been so unsettling that she hadn't been able to sleep for the rest of the night.

Okay… She was willing to admit that _maybe_ there was a small hint of genuine attraction for Kakashi in her. But it was so microscopically small that not even Shizune would be able to spot it with a chakra enhanced microscope. It was just a teeny, tiny little earworm that made its home in the bowels of her subconscious mind and only surfaced to give her steamy… very erotic… drool-worthy…

"Is there something on my face?"

Sakura snapped back into the present with a sharp jerk at the sound of Kakashi's voice. "Huh?" she asked distractedly, turning away quickly so he wouldn't see the dark pink stain to her cheeks. If he so much as guessed where her mind had wandered off to, he'd never let her live it down.

"You've been staring at me for almost three minutes now," Kakashi continued bemusedly. "You weren't even aware I had to pull you around the light post you were about to collide with."

"Oh… sorry," she mumbled hastily, pulling her hand free of his before the nervous tremor making its way through her body was detected. She covered the action up by pretending to push a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"Hmm… must have been pretty intense. You didn't rupture anything doing it, did you?"

Shooting him a scathing glare, Sakura replied tersely, "No! For your information, I've got a lot on my mind right now."

"Ah. Such as?"

"... Hospital… things…." Outside, Sakura maintained what she hoped was a calm façade. Inside though, she was screaming at herself for being such a raging idiot. That wasn't a very convincing excuse, even to her optimistic way of thinking. There was no way he wouldn't see through her now!

Kakashi's brow rose slowly over his hooded eye before a disbelieving hum of acceptance came from him as he tucked his hands into his pockets. He wasn't going to push it… but he didn't believe her one bit. Sakura cringed as she hastily tried to come up with a new topic of discussion.

"So… Shizune-san said I might be ready to take the jounin exam next year," she said quickly, offering him a bright smile that she hoped would distract him from the less-than-subtle shift in conversation.

Regardless of the rather obvious topic change, he went along with it without raising a fuss. For once, she was pretty glad he was too lazy to keep digging at things. Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Think you'll be ready by then?"

Laughing in relief, Sakura pushed her hair back and shrugged. "Hope so. I'd hate to be stuck as a chuunin forever."

"Being a jounin isn't necessarily better."

"Umm… higher pay, more perks, not to mention some real clout to throw around-,"

"Possibly being assigned as a teacher, nothing but high-risk missions, getting your name in every Bingo Book from here to Mist and back again," he countered quickly.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and muttered, "Killjoy. If it's so awful, why'd you take the exam?"

Kakashi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and said, "Because no one was kind enough to tell me that before hand." At first, she thought he was being serious, but after a second look she caught the faint spark of laughter in his eye and knew he was only pulling her leg.

"Please! If it was really all that crappy, you would have resigned by now and committed yourself to a life of reading poorly written porn in a dark corner somewhere."

"And just how would _you_ know if my porn is poorly written or not? Been reading _Icha Icha_ while I was away?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at that and snorted in contempt as they rounded a corner and came out on the street her apartment was on. "Considering I don't even have time to read _good_ books, I'd say that's a big exploding tag to the forehead that I haven't." She heard him laugh softly as she dug her keys out of her pocket and started up the steps of the apartment building.

The elderly security guard at the desk just inside the main entry way stopped watching his television show long enough to nod a greeting in her direction. "Good evening, Sakura-san," he said politely before his gaze flickered to the man walking behind her. "And to you too, Hatake-san."

"Hello, Ubizu-san," Sakura called back cheerfully as she made her way to the stairs. "Did they reveal who the father of her twins is yet?" She was referring to the soap opera that Ino had gotten the poor old man addicted to almost a year ago. From the way Kakashi glanced from her to the security guard and back again, he obviously thought they were speaking of real life drama.

Ubizu rolled his eyes and gave a low, annoyed rumble of sound as he shifted in his chair to a more comfortable position. "No, not yet. You know how these things go; string ya along as far as they can 'fore revealing the baby's daddy was really some mutant fish or other such nonsense."

"If it's nonsense then why do you watch it?" she laughed, purposely pausing on the stairs so that Kakashi nearly ran into her. She stuck her tongue out at the mildly irritated look he gave her before returning her attention to the old man at the desk.

Shrugging, the guard mumbled, "Got nothin' better to do, I guess. 'Sides… All the stuff _you_ told me to watch wasn't much fun. All them mysteries and whodunits… My old brain can't follow those complex things so well anymore, ya know?"

Sakura flushed a little as Kakashi chuckled under his breath before she turned about and started walking again. She'd be damned if she was just gonna stand there and be laughed at because she enjoyed a good crime drama every now and then! "Have a good night, Ubizu-san!"

"You too, Sakura-san! And don't go givin' her any grief now, ya hear, Hatake-san? I've no problem escorting even you out for causin' trouble with a lady."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I only finish what she starts," Kakashi called back with a pleasant smile, one that didn't betray the fact that he'd just caught the elbow aiming for his gut. Ubizu's harsh laughter followed them up the flights of steps, furthering grating on Sakura's nerves.

Just as she was about to tell him off for stealing her security guard, Kakashi settled his hand against the small of her back, causing her to jump… and all of her anger to fade away as he gave the area above her ass a soothing rub before curling his hand around the side of her hip. Sakura sucked on her lower lip, torn between two conflicting forces inside her. The first was appalled by how he didn't even think twice about touching her so familiarly, while the second was thinking he should do this more often. Swallowing hard, Sakura decided to compromise the two halves by pretending she needed to step away from him to unlock the door. Or, rather, she was _hoping_ the two sides would be appeased. Only one was. The other was really missing the feel of his hand on her hip.

Sakura unlocked the door and pushed it open onto the dark, shadowed apartment. She was just reaching around for the light switch by the door when she suddenly remembered the last time he'd been there… and what hadn't been put away. Turning quickly to block him from following her, Sakura nearly collided face first with his chest. Blushing at the too-close proximity, Sakura smiled shakily at him. "Um… do you mind waiting out here for a few minutes? I just… I need to make sure the place isn't a disaster."

She couldn't see it, but she was pretty certain Kakashi was smirking underneath his mask. Taking a step back, Kakashi tucked his hands in his pockets and said, "Sure, take your time."

Nodding her thanks, Sakura took the bag of groceries he was carrying slipped through the door before flicking on the light in order to survey what sort of disaster was lurking in the living room. A sigh of relief broke from her when she saw it wasn't nearly as bad as she'd been dreading. Just a few things needed to be tidied before she'd let him in, but at least there wasn't any laundry lying around.

Sakura quickly shoved the shoes that had been kicked off by the door to one side before heading over to the coffee table to tuck the box of nail polish under the sofa and straighten the magazines strewn across the surface. She took the bills as she headed for the kitchen, pausing to pluck the pillow Ino had thrown at her the night before off of the floor.

The kitchen was a little worse off than she would have liked, mostly due to the small stack of dishes that needed cleaning, but there wasn't much she could do about it now. Maybe she could con Kakashi into helping her clean up after dinner or something. Sakura deposited the unopened bills in the mail pouch just inside the doorway and turned on the faucet to wet a sponge. She gave the counters a quick wipe down and deposited the groceries on the freshly washed surface, all while still hugging the pillow to her chest. Tossing the sponge back into the sink, Sakura did a mental run through of the areas he would most likely be seeing. Okay… living room was good. Kitchen was good. Bathroom was next.

Sakura tossed the pillow onto the couch in passing and hurried toward the bathroom. She turned the light on and grimaced as the harsh light illuminated a very disorganized sight. Damn it… what were the odds that Kakashi wouldn't need to use the toilet? Sighing in resignation, Sakura grabbed the two hairbrushes on the counter and chucked them in the cabinet under the sink. She swiped all the makeup and hair ties into one of the drawers, uncaring that her stuff was now thoroughly mingled with Ino's. They could sort it out later.

A quick straightening of towels and the rug later and the bathroom was as ready as it would be on short notice. Pleased with herself, Sakura shut off the light and was about to go let Kakashi in when a sudden idea occurred to her. She backtracked to the bedrooms… and shut both doors firmly. That should hopeful dispel any misguided thoughts from him that anything beyond eating the amazing dinner she was about to make was going to happen.

She hurried back to the door and opened it with a sharp jerk. "Alright," she said breathlessly as she stepped aside with a bright smile and a welcoming sweep of her arm. "Sorry about the mess. I hadn't really planned on having anyone over."

"It's okay," Kakashi replied as he stepped in. As with the first time he'd entered her apartment, he began to wander around curiously, his gaze resting the longest on her book case.

Sakura shook her head, grinning as he oh-so-casually began to meander toward the collection of books. The man's fascination with the written word was almost comical. No need to worry about him looking at other women, not unless they were wearing a newspaper. It was the bookstores she needed to worry about. Leaving him to poke around at Ino's dirty novels, she called over shoulder, "Make yourself at home!"

"'Kay," he mumbled distractedly as he tugged a book out for inspection.

"Want anything to drink? Water, orange-pineapple juice, soy milk…" As soon as she said the last it reminded her of that one weird dream, which in turn led to her thinking about those _other_ dreams. Cheeks burning, Sakura quickly busied herself with getting dinner around.

"I'm good," Kakashi replied. She heard him groan softly and glanced over to find him slouched on the sofa with a book in hand. All she could make out of the cover was a woman with perfectly windblown hair (which was such an oxymoron) who was arching her back against a man with bulky muscles who looked like someone had coated him in bronze paint.

Wrinkling her nose as she slid a knife out from the block on the counter, Sakura asked, "Do you really like reading those things?"

Kakashi didn't so much as glance at her as she began chopping the mushrooms. "Mm… it's not _Icha Icha_, but the sex scenes are pretty good. I'm not really feeling most of the plot devices though."

"Really? That's weird."

"How so?"

Shrugging, Sakura grinned over her shoulder at him, uncaring that he was too absorbed in the book to notice she was laughing at him. "I didn't know smut books _had_ a plot beyond heaving bosoms and such."

She caught the faint sound of Kakashi's chuckle as he turned the page and sank further down into the sofa cushions. "That's not the plot point I was objecting to," he murmured back.

"Then what don't you like? All the non-smutty dialogue?" she laughed as she dug underneath the counter for a baking dish. She'd just dump it all together, season it and add a little water to keep the chicken from drying out. Pop it in the oven and around forty minutes later, a delicious, nutritious dinner for two. Hopefully.

"Some of it _is_ pretty bad," Kakashi admitted. "But my main problem is the fact that some authors would rather try and hide the fact that all they write about is sex with a poorly planned storyline. I'd rather they just admit they're writing smut than insult my intelligence with a laughably weak plot."

Sakura arched a brow and gave him an incredulously look as she turned the oven on. "That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

Her sarcastic comment made his brow crease in confusion. "How do you figure that?" he drawled as he turned to the next page.

"You read _Icha Icha."_ The way she said it made it clear she thought the answer was rather obvious.

Apparently… it either wasn't or he was being deliberately obtuse because the pinching between his eyebrows deepened as he slowly lowered Ino's stolen book until it was spread across his chest. "And how does reading _Icha Icha_ make me a hypocrite?" He was using that flat tone with her, the one that meant he was either curious about her response… or a little offended by the accusation. Having three-quarters of his face covered up didn't help in revealing his exact mood either.

Sakura wiped her hands on a dish towel, taking a deep breath as she shifted her gaze from his. "Well," she began cautiously, fidgeting a little under his close scrutiny. "You just said you didn't like when an author masks the porn with a flimsy plot. Isn't that basically what Jiraiya-sama does?"

"Actually," Kakashi replied as he dog-eared the page he'd left off on and closed the book, obviously having decided their current conversation was better than reading half-assed porn. "_Icha Icha_ doesn't have as much sex as you seem to think."

Sakura snorted and shook her head disbelievingly. "Yeah… okay. Sorry, I forgot about the four pages Jiraiya-sama dedicated to 'plot'," she answered drolly.

He laughed quietly from where he was half-sprawled across her couch and shook his head. The look he gave her was very similar to the sort an adult would give a child who'd just said something incredibly cute. "The sex scenes are quite graphic… but that's not the only reason there's a restriction label on the cover. Jiraiya's description of the action sequences is incredibly good… and incredibly violent."

Her eyebrows rose and she actually paused with the oven half open to stare at him in shock. She only realized this when the hot air wafted upward and stung her cheek, causing her to flinch a little as she dropped it open fully to slide the chicken inside. "You're such a liar, Kakashi-sensei," she exclaimed as she rose, kicking the door closed with her heel. "There's no way you really expect me to believe that!"

"Believe what you want, Sakura," he replied unconcernedly, his voice coming from much closer than the living room. When Sakura turned around, she wasn't at all surprised to find him leaning against the entryway of her kitchen with his hands tucked in his pockets. "But, seeing as you've never read _Icha Icha_, your accusations are completely groundless."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura tilted her chin up in a silent challenge to him. "You seriously mean to tell me that the _Icha Icha_ series, which features some poor, harassed woman being chased by a horny guy on the cover, has a real plot line."

There was a spark of an answering challenge in his dark grey eye as he pushed away from the entryway and further into her small kitchen. Sakura maintained her ground as he came to a stop directly in front of her. He wasn't standing close enough to touch her, just enough to force her to look up in order to keep eye-contact. If he thought he could intimidate her, he was sorely mistaken. Hatake Kakashi was a kitten when compared to a raging, hung over Tsunade who had just found out she had a budget meeting scheduled for that very morning.

"There's a big difference between those cheap romance novels on your bookcase and Jiraiya's work," he said, speaking in such a low, smooth tone that it sent a shiver down her spine. "That difference is his perfection in the 'less is more' technique."

"The less is more technique?" she repeated dubiously.

Kakashi nodded once firmly and took just a half step closer to her so that her bare arms brushed across the front of his vest with each breath they took. "Instead of having several grand scale, full out orgasmic sex scenes strewn all through the novel, Jiraiya usually has only two. What he does instead is build the anticipation throughout the course of the story… like foreplay. A few teasing touches here… perhaps the faintest ghosting of someone's breath along the skin… And when the sex finally does happen, it's like an orgasm for the reader as well."

Silence fell between them, one that was punctuated by the clock ticking on the wall and the sounds of people laughing on the street below. Sakura couldn't tear her eyes from his mostly covered face, as if he'd worked a genjutsu on her that prevented her from doing so. Her breathing was shallow, making her feel a little lightheaded in a kitchen that was suddenly too warm. She wanted to call him out on this, tell him he was full of crap… but even if it were possible for her to find where her vocabulary had run off to, she doubted the words could have made it out of her oddly dry throat.

"Sakura."

She blinked at the sound of her name said in that voice and let a shaky breath escape her parted lips. "Yes?" she whispered back. A shiver moved through her as he traced a single finger down her cheek, the rougher texture of calloused skin making something warm flood through her.

"You're blushing."

Instantly, she snapped out of whatever daze he'd put her in and glowered at him. He chuckled as she slapped his hand away from her and stomped over to the fridge under the pretense of pulling out Ino's soy milk. "Of course I'm blushing," she bit out angrily, though admittedly it was directed more at herself for letting him affect her than at him for doing that. "You're standing in my kitchen, acting like a total pervert and spewing crap that's more absurd than your lame excuses for being late!"

Still laughing, Kakashi dragged a chair out just far enough from the small kitchen table to flop down in it as if standing were suddenly too much effort. "You did ask," he remarked, something akin to mischief brightening his dark eye as she scowled at him. "And now I have a question for you; do you really only read thriller novels and mysteries?"

Back stiffening indignantly, Sakura set her glass of soy milk firmly on the countertop and said haughtily, "I hardly think a man who reads porn all day has the right to judge _my_ taste in reading material."

"I'm not passing judgment, merely inquiring as to your likes and dislikes. It's a little thing I call 'getting to know my date'."

Still eying him suspiciously, Sakura shrugged before joining him at the table. "Mostly," she answered honestly. "I don't really have time to read though, but when I do it's usually something along those lines."

"If you don't have the chance to read, why pick a genre that requires so much attention?" he inquired, a small frown pinching between his eyebrows. "I'd think you'd lose the plot rather quickly if you don't get a chance to pick it up relatively soon."

Grinning, Sakura waggled a finger in his direction as she leaned forward across the table. "See, that's where you're wrong. What's really great about a good mystery is that I'm _constantly_ thinking about it during the time I can't get back to it. Was it her brother? Did the witness really see the victim get strangled before being thrown in the water? Where did the money go? So, in the time I can't finish the story, I'm always running over the different scenarios and trying to figure out what the twist in the plot is gonna be."

She paused when she realized Kakashi was simply staring at her, the surprised tilt to his eye making her cheeks warm. "Sorry," she said, laughing nervously as she pushed her hair back from her face. "I didn't mean to get carried away. This sort of thing's probably rather boring for you." This part of the evening was going to be carefully edited out when she recounted it to Ino. She just knew her roommate would have a blast making jokes about her boring Kakashi to death.

"No, on the contrary… that actually makes sense. I was just surprised, that's all," Kakashi said, scratching along his jaw as he nodded thoughtfully.

"You're surprised I made sense?" she asked slowly, smoothing her hands flat across the tabletop. Before she went and punched him through a wall, she wanted to be certain she did it for the right reason.

"I'm surprised because I never thought you would be that patient. You always struck me as being the type to want to know what happens _now_. It's interesting."

The blush that had just started to stain her cheeks came out in full force at his compliment. A nervous laugh found its way from her mouth as she covered her face with both hands and mumbled, "I hate that you can do that."

"What? Color coordinate your cheeks with your shirt?" Kakashi answered with an edge of mischievousness to his words. "You look cute when you're all flushed and flustered."

God… there he went again! Unable to stop laughing, Sakura dropped her burning forehead to the table and covered her head with both arms as if to protect it from an explosion. Cute wasn't exactly the adjective she was trying to go for here… but it still warmed her to hear it. "So, I go from being beautiful to being cute in the space of one night?" she joked sarcastically from underneath her arms. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

"Anytime, Cherry-chan."

Sakura's head snapped up at the despised nickname, bristling as he flashed her that happy see-I'm-so-nice eye wink. Before she could even reprimand him for using it, Kakashi said in a deceptively light voice, "That's two times tonight you've used my title. It seemed only fair I drag that lovely nickname out for use."

Oh… crap. She had called him Kakashi-sensei. Something like that could very easily tip off a red flag for him. It'd mean she wasn't really into him, which would then make him wonder why she was still dating him… which would then lead to her being stained electric blue and working midnights. Thinking quickly, Sakura propped an elbow on the table and leaned her cheek against her palm. Hoping that her smile was suitably flirty, she teased, "I thought men liked it when cute girls called them sensei."

For a moment –just a very quick half a second- Kakashi's face was the very picture of a man who'd had the rug swept out from under him. He hadn't expected _that_ sort of comeback at all, and it pleased her no end that she'd finally gotten a really good hit in on him. But this was Hatake Kakashi, which meant he not only recovered quickly but also in tenfold. Sakura's victory lasted only about as long as that look on his face had.

Kakashi leaned across the table as well, keeping his eye fixed with hers the entire time. Sakura felt her back snap taut but she refused to back down. She couldn't afford to retreat now. Girls who purposely flirted with their date to get them to do something didn't suddenly shy away. He was close enough now that she could just make out the lingering scent of dried sweat and old leaves on his clothing. She could also see that his eye wasn't just a solid, dark grey; there were tiny flecks of blue and black in there that, depending on the way the light hit, would shift the hue lighter or darker.

The hand she still had on the table twitched in reaction to his fingers tracing lightly over hers. Once again, she felt as if breathing had become something she really needed to think about. His hand covered hers on the table, allowing his fingertips to just barely graze the sensitive skin along her wrist. Sakura could only stare at him, as if in a daze, as he leaned closer, like he was about to…

And then the hand she hadn't been paying attention to flashed out and tweaked her nose faster than she could follow.

Sakura yelped and jumped away so quickly her chair went rocking back on two legs. Arms flailing, she managed to right herself again by grabbing the edge of the table, all while his shoulder shook with delight. "You are such an _asshole!_" she ground out, kicking his shin under the table hard enough to cause him to wince.

Kakashi was still laughing at her as he reached down to rub his abused leg. She would have bet what little she actually had in her bank account that underneath that infernal mask was the biggest shit-eating grin, and it pissed her off. Damn it, she should have _known_ he was going to do something like that! Shaking her head and slumping in her chair while glaring petulantly at him. She hoped like hell she'd left a good sized bruise on his leg!

"I just want you to know," she said coolly as he finally managed to control his quiet mirth. "That I'm really regretting asking you to join me for dinner."

"Funny, I don't regret you asking me at all," Kakashi replied as he leaned his chair back against the wall. There was a wicked glint to his eye that said he was purposely rocking back in his chair, mocking her close call from moments before. She wanted to punch his smug face in.

Huffing angrily, Sakura pushed away from the table and stood up to put the soy milk away. "Why don't you go back to reading in the living room?" she suggested tightly.

"Is that a subtle hint to leave your kitchen?"

"There's nothing subtle about it. Get out. Now." He should consider himself lucky she was only banishing him into the next room and not the street outside. Sakura pretended to be busy reorganizing the few groceries in her fridge, giving him yet another clear indicator that her kitchen was off limits to him for the time being. But instead of the expected sound of footsteps heading for the living room, she heard the water at the sink running. Sakura spun around sharply and saw that he was filling the small metal tea pot that had been on her stove with water. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Well, I thought a little tea would be nice. Want some?" Kakashi cast a questioning look over his shoulder as he switched on a burner and set the pot on the rapidly reddening coils. He then began opening and closing cabinet doors in search of two mugs.

Some of her ire cooled a bit at his offer, much to her utter bewilderment. How did he do that? One minute, she was ready to rip his head off and the next she was willing to let it remain on his shoulders. And he hadn't even apologized for being an ass either! All he'd done was offered to make her a cup of her own tea… which actually did sound rather good.

Sighing as she admitted defeat once again to the enigma that was Hatake Kakashi, Sakura motioned vaguely to a flat wooden box on top of the refrigerator. "The tea selection is there, and the steeping balls are in the top drawer to the left of the sink. There's some ground ginger in the cupboard over your head. Only a little of that in mine, please."

Then, leaving him to take care of the pot that was just beginning to whistle, Sakura wandered into the living room, grabbed the mystery novel she was currently reading and flopped down in the corner of the couch that he had previously occupied. But the entire time she tried to read, all she really did was watch him, Kakashi, performing the mundane act of making tea. It should have felt odd to see a man capable of killing someone in one blow doing something so utterly domestic. 'Should have' being the operative phrase.

* * *

"Ugh… That Shikamaru! He makes me so… grrrrrr!" Ino scowled darkly at her menu, one fingernail tapping her irritation out on the beautifully stained table she and Chouji were sitting at.

"Y'know he didn't mean it," Chouji replied as he eyed the menu with growing trepidation. Vegetable platters… lentil dishes… whole wheat flatbread sandwiches… "Where's the meat section on here?"

Ino lowered her menu just long enough to shoot him a droll look. "It's a vegetarian restaurant. They don't _have_ a meat section."

What the hell kind of restaurant didn't have a meat section in their menu? Even if it was a vegetarian place, he would have thought they'd have _some_ meat product. After all, a lot of the steakhouses he liked to go to offered vegetarian options, which always seemed sort of dumb to him since it was a _steakhouse_. It seemed only fair the vegetarians would do the same.

Well… this was where Ino said she'd wanted to eat. He could always hit up the yakitori stand on his way back home. Oh, and the candy store tomorrow for a bag of those lemon candies Shikamaru liked. He knew buying a bag of sweets wasn't nearly enough of a thanks for getting him a pseudo-date with Ino, but it seemed like a pretty good start to him.

Chouji squinted at the menu options critically, trying to find something that at least didn't sound like over glorified cow food. He'd always found it ironic that cows, which were pretty big-boned animals, at the same thing people did to get skinny. And speaking of cows… there was an entire page of the menu devoted to cheese. _Yes!_ If he couldn't get any meat, cheese was the next best thing!

"Anyway," Ino continued blithely as she folded her menu closed and set it on the edge of the table. "Even if he didn't mean it, he still said it. Just because _some_ people are socially awkward, sexually repressed geniuses doesn't mean they know squat about what's going on in a man's head."

Without looking up from the menu, Chouji grinned and snickered at her implying that she _did_ know what went on in a guy's head. The irony of a very girlie girl (off of a training field that is) claiming she knew the inner workings of a man's brain struck him. "Shika's not sexually repressed, Ino. If he says it's not gonna-,"

"Hold up! Whaddya mean he's not sexually repressed?" she demanded, her voice rising in volume so that several other diners looked their way.

Uh-oh… He'd gone and done it now. Gulping, Chouji ducked further behind his menu and mumbled, "Maybe we should get a coupla appetizers or something…"

Ino jerked the menu from his hands and slapped it onto the tabletop roughly, fixing him with an uncompromising glare. "Spit it out _right now_, Akimichi Chouji! Why isn't Shikamaru sexually repressed?"

Chouji cringed and sank as low as he could in the booth. Shit… Shikamaru was gonna _kill_ him for this! If he didn't tell Ino what he knew, she would confront Shikamaru on it as soon as she saw him. And if he did tell he'd be betraying the best friend he had. Damn it… he was so screwed! Why the hell had he gone and opened his big mouth? Maybe if he just told her to keep it a secret…

Swallowing hard, Chouji stammered, "W-Well, I don't know for sure… but the last time Temari from Suna was here, I sorta… kinda… maybe saw them talking."

_Whack!_

"You idiot!" Ino complained while he held his recently slapped head and moaned. "Of course you saw them talking! Shikamaru's helping to organize the chuunin exams in a few months!"

"Yeah, but Ino… it was _how_ they were talking that made me think that-,"

Rolling her eyes and growling irritably, Ino shook her head and flopped back against the booth across from him. "Regardless of what you think you saw, if I find out Shikamaru's gone and hooked up with that Sand twit when there are plenty of better looking girls here at home, I swear to god I'll castrate him."

Chouji looked around desperately for a waiter to take their order, not at all comfortable with the topic of lobbing off his friend's balls. Maybe Ino was right and there really was nothing odd about them talking…

Then why had Shikamaru been leaning in as close as he had? And why had Temari felt the need to smooth her hand down his arm?

Shaking his head, Chouji smiled in relief as a hesitant waitress finally came over to their table. "Welcome to Jakouendou," she said politely as she set two glasses of water before them. "Would you like to hear the specials or do you know what you'd like?"

Before Chouji could even open his mouth to ask about the specials, Ino cut in and said, "We'll start with an order of edamame, please. For dinner, I'd like the steamed curry tofu with snow peas and extra mushrooms. And water's fine to drink."

The waitress wrote it down and turned to Chouji expectantly.

"I want the cheese cubes, please. And an order of the cheese dip with wheat crisps. Oh, and the cheese and multigrain pizza, too. And can I have orange fizz to drink?" He grinned at her, completely unaware that she was looking him from head to toe with a mildly disgusted look on her face as she wrote down his order. Unfortunately for the waitress, as well as the few people who had turned to smirk when they'd overheard the order… Ino hadn't missed it at all. And she wasn't at all happy those idiots were laughing at her teammate.

"I'll be back with the edamame shortly," the woman muttered before walking back to the kitchen, completely oblivious to the deadly glare Ino was shooting at her back.

As soon as she was out of sight, Ino leaned across the table and motioned for Chouji to come closer. "Did you see that?" she hissed angrily.

Frowning, Chouji shook his head and whispered back, "See what?"

Rolling her eyes, Ino mumbled, "Just play along for a bit, okay? I wanna prove a point to that shallow bitch."

Eyes wide, Chouji just nodded and waited for whatever it was Ino was going to do. He had no idea which shallow bitch the blonde was referring to, but whatever the other woman had done had Ino white-hot mad. He felt really sorry for her, whoever she was.

But any concerns for Ino's victim were blown totally out of his mind when he felt her fingers tracing over his in slow, leisurely lines. Oh… holy… Chouji had to fight to get a breath through his suddenly tight throat as he sent a panic-stricken look at Ino. In answer, his teammate winked subtly at him before twining her fingers with his on the table.

Where everyone could see.

Chouji thought for sure he was about to wake up any minute.

"I really love your hands, Chouji-kun," Ino purred a little louder than was absolutely necessary. A few ears perked up and a couple of surprised people cast subtle glances their way. All Chouji really saw was Ino's hand on his. "They're so strong and… _manly._"

_Please don't wake up now,_ he furiously ordered his subconscious. Usually, this was the point where he'd wake up and realize it had been yet another too-good-to-be-true dream. He was so enraptured with the way Ino was glancing at him through coyly lowered lashes that he didn't notice the surprised lifting of several people's eyebrows. When she ran her tongue across her lips, he could almost feel the nosebleed getting ready to rupture.

"I've never told you this but… when you come up behind me and tilt my head back with these hands…" Ino sighed, her eyes closing almost dreamily as she leaned further across the table. "It really, _really_ turns me on."

The waitress dropping her tray and his orange fizz made Ino look over with feigned sympathy. Chouji, however, barely registered the disaster. All he could do was gape… and remind his lungs to keep breathing… and his heart to slow down a bit. He had no idea what she was talking about, but the idea of doing exactly what she'd said made the blood rush from his head to below his waistline. His dreams had _never_ been like this before! They usually involved some hand holding, maybe them sharing a box of chocolate or something. But never anything this… this… Whoa.

"Oh, dear… you really should be more careful, you know," Ino simpered, smiling sweetly as the waitress began swiftly scooping the broken glass back onto her tray. The blonde didn't bother to hide the cold, triumph in her eyes as the waitress looked up with burning red cheeks and a look of understanding on her face. She'd gotten the message, loud and clear; there was _nothing_ wrong with Akimichi Chouji. Mumbling an apology, she hurried back to the kitchen to get a new drink order.

Snickering cruelly, Ino pulled her hand away from Chouji's and shook her head. "Some people," she complained. "They can be so rude! Who the hell does she think she is, looking at you like that? I mean, really. Like she's the grand prize at the fair with that big nose and lanky hair! She'd be lucky enough to get a blind dog to- Chouji? Hey, Chouji? What's the matter? Chouji!"

Chouji blinked when Ino snapped her fingers sharply in front of his face, giving himself a small shake to try and get rid of the lingering fantasies that had been circulating in his mind. "Sorry… what?" he mumbled thickly, his own cheeks growing a little pink as he remembered where his daydreaming had taken him.

Sighing, Ino slouched in her seat and muttered back, "Never mind. It's not important"

He was about to tell her that anything she had to say was important to him when the waitress returned to their table with not only his drink but their food as well. Without a word, she placed their bill on the table, along with a pitcher of water for them to refill their own glasses, and hurried off to her next table. Not once did she look at either of them. Eyebrows puckering in consternation, Chouji commented, "She seems kinda rude, don't you think?"

Ino's eyes narrowed as she shook her head. "You have no idea."

* * *

_Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!_

Coughing on the thick smoke that had billowed out from the oven, Sakura staggered to the kitchen window and jerked it open roughly. Immediately, the cool night breeze began whisking through, sucking the grayish cloud out of her home. Behind her, the smoke alarm continued to trill urgently before it was suddenly cut off in mid-screech. Sakura heard Kakashi coughing behind her as he hit the switch to get the fan going.

"What the hell happened?" he choked, peering cautiously into the stove.

"I-I don't know," Sakura groaned dismally as she joined him to see just how bad it was. "I swear I had it set to bake…" Apparently, she hadn't though. One minute, they were sitting on her couch, him reading his porn and her reading a fascinating murder mystery, with their tea and the next he was saying he smelled something burning. Sakura had hurriedly pulled her feet off his lap (putting an end to the exquisite foot massage she'd been getting up until then) and rushed to the kitchen to check on the chicken. The minute she'd pulled the oven door open though, she'd gone reeling back as thick, almost black smoke stung her eyes and burned at her throat. The first thing she'd done was check the setting… and that was when she'd noticed it was set to broil.

As the smoke cleared away to give them a clear view of what was supposed to have been their dinner, a dismayed sigh came from Kakashi at the same moment Sakura slapped a hand over her eyes and whined miserably. What had once been lemongrass and ginger chicken now resembled something close to charcoal. Seemingly oblivious to the heat, Kakashi reached out and poked one of the blackened lumps experimentally. It was so well done it actually _scraped_ across the baking dish.

"Wow," he so succinctly stated.

Sakura nodded wistfully and murmured, "Yeah, wow."

"I don't think we can just scrape that off."

"Probably not," she agreed.

"You know… these would probably make very effective projectiles."

"… Or we could just throw them out."

Sighing again, Kakashi straightened and grabbed the dish towel that was folded across the towel bar over the sink. Sakura stood back as he removed the pan from the oven and walked the disastrous meal over to the garbage can. He flipped the lid open and dropped the hardened chunks in. The sound of the chicken pieces hitting the bottom with a hard _thunk_ made her wince. As he dropped the still hot pan in the sink, Sakura moaned, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he reassured her as he closed the oven once again. "Granted, this doesn't do us any good as far as eating goes… but you have to admit it was pretty funny."

Despite the fact that she didn't really find her appalling lack in cooking skills that funny at all, she couldn't help smiling sadly at him. Her breath caught a little when he reached out and swiped a thumb across one cheek. Holding it up to show the black smudge on the pad, Kakashi said, "You have some soot on her face."

Huffing, Sakura raked a hand back through her short hair and frowned at the garbage can now containing what was supposed to have been her first ever successful dinner. "I don't get it," she complained. "I just… How the hell can I bake a cake but destroy chicken? I mean, it seems impossible that _one_ _person_ is so inept at cooking that she can't even-,"

Kakashi stopped her from continuing by covering her mouth with his hand. Caught off guard, Sakura's eyes widened as she looked from his hand to his face and back again. "Listen to me," he said, using the same firm tone he'd employed as her teacher. When he was certain she wasn't going to interrupt him, he removed his palm from her mouth. "First, you need to relax. Not everyone can cook. It's a simple fact of life and it doesn't make you any less inept than someone who can cook."

"But, Kakashi, I –mmph!"

"Second," he continued, speaking over her muffled protest at having him clamp his hand over her mouth once again. "Dinner didn't work out as planned? No big deal. That just means we'll have to get a little creative. But if it's alright with you… I'll do the cooking. Now… what sorts of groceries do you have?"

Sakura looked pointedly at the hand still covering her mouth.

"Oh, sorry." Kakashi pulled his hand away and stuck it in his pocket.

Lips twisting thoughtfully, Sakura tried to remember if there was anything at all edible in their apartment. She knew there was a packet of rice noodles in the cupboard… and some fruit flavored chewable vitamins… Sighing, Sakura shook her head. "We don't have anything. That's why I was shopping."

"You have absolutely nothing?" Kakashi repeated, as if not quite believing her.

"Ino and I slacked off a bit on the groceries department, okay?" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and staring grouchily at the evil stove. She blamed it entirely for changing its own setting. This definitely was _not_ her fault this time!

"No canned soup? Cheese slices?" he pressed.

Sakura gave him a long, hard glare in response.

Eyebrows rising in mild surprise, Kakashi nodded slowly. Sakura went rigid as his gaze swept her from head to toe appraisingly, as if he wasn't quite sure he liked what he saw. "What?" she demanded, fidgeting as a thread of exasperation began to wind its way through her.

"How long would it take you to get ready?"

"Well, I'd need to shower so… maybe an hour?" she guessed hesitantly.

"Good. That'll give me time to get home and do the same. Remember where we met for our first date?"

Number Seventeen, Asaihi Lane. She'd had to memorize it because of his lousy handwriting. Sakura nodded as she caught on to what the new plan was. "Are you sure you'll be there on time?" she asked dubiously. "After all, you did say some _things_ were-,"

"Trust me, I will be. I'm too hungry not to show up on time. So… one hour, outside the teahouse. Oh, and if you wouldn't mind… maybe you could wear that dress you'd mentioned earlier?"

Before Sakura could even finish getting the argument to leave her lips, Kakashi had already made his way to the door and left. She was left standing in her foggy kitchen with only an hour to get ready to go out somewhere nice.

In a dress she didn't own yet.

"_Shit!"_ she screamed as she raced to the bathroom, stripping the entire way. She had no idea what she was going to do about a sexy dress, but hopefully inspiration would strike while she was scrubbing soot from her hair. If it didn't, well… She'd just have to think of a really good excuse for not wearing it.

* * *

There were times in his life where Kakashi would freely admit to being selfish. This was definitely one of those times. He did feel a little bad about sabotaging Sakura's dinner, especially after seeing just how dejected she was that it had been ruined… But, damn it all, curiosity had gotten the best of him. No matter how hard he'd tried, his mind kept wandering back to the dress she'd mentioned at the grocery store. Was it strapless? Maybe there was a shamelessly deep slit up the side. Or perhaps it was a backless number like that teal one she'd been wearing before he'd left…

Well, the only way to truly satisfy an itch was to scratch it. And the only way to scratch this particular itch was to arrange so that they had to go out to eat.

Secretly, he was rather proud of himself for the job he'd done. He'd kept her occupied with talk so that later she couldn't be positive about whether or not she'd set the stove correctly. He'd used the excuse of making tea to not only change the stove settings but to also make certain her grocery stock was as minimal as she'd claimed. Thankfully, it was almost as pathetic as his own. And then, all he'd needed to do was sit back, read and wait until the smell of food burned beyond recognition hit his nose.

Once Kakashi reached his apartment building, he took the stairs two at a time, already tugging his gloves off and unzipping his vest. By the time he had the door unlocked and had slammed his shoulder against the warped wood to force it open, he was already shucking off his shirt and working on his undershirt.

Pakkun lifted his head from the couch as Kakashi continued stripping his way toward the bathroom, his wrinkled brow lifting slightly. "There a reason why you're in a rush to get naked?" the pug called dryly.

"Can't talk, in a rush," Kakashi called back as he shut the bathroom door and twisted the rusted knobs of his shower on. Pipes groaned and protested, the showerhead gave a few reluctant gargles and then a stream of water began to fall steadily.

Kakashi used the ten minutes it took for the water to reach a sub-boiling level (his shower only had two temperatures; hot and blistering) to shave the annoying stubble from his cheeks and grab his toothbrush. Genma thought it was weird that he brushed his teeth in the shower. He thought it was the most logical thing to do. Stand at the sink and scrub, or do it in the nice, warm shower while soaping up?

It had to be the quickest shower in his entire life. In twenty minutes flat, he was out and toweling off swiftly as a chill breeze eased in under the inch wide gap under the door. He was disappointed that he couldn't savor the warm water a bit longer, but he didn't really have time. He still had to get dressed and get to Pinaka's Teahouse in less than thirty minutes. Normally, he wouldn't have really concerned himself with the clock… but his stomach was gurgling for food and he had a date with a girl in a very sexy dress who probably wasn't in a very forgiving mood tonight.

Fortunately, he'd found a foolproof way to get dressed in no time flat; a monochromatic wardrobe. Everything he owned was a basic color that went with whatever happened to be folded next to it. He preferred the darker shades mostly because they didn't stain as easily, but also because the paler ones tended to wash out on him. Draping a towel over his hair, Kakashi entered the small area reserved for his bed and a small chest of drawers.

He grabbed whatever happened to be at the top of the drawer reserved for civilian attire (which normally only saw use on undercover missions), a fresh undershirt and boxer briefs and began getting dressed. Pakkun came sauntering in and jumped on the bed while he finished fastening his pants. "Going out with the girl tonight?" the small dog asked as he circled the spot he intended to lay down on a few times before settling himself.

"Yes. I sort of owe her dinner, seeing as I destroyed hers," Kakashi answered while tugging his mask into place.

"... Why'd you do that?"

Chuckling, Kakashi glanced over his shoulder and winked his unclosed eye at the frowning canine. "It's a dating ritual for humans. Woman offers to cook dinner. Man ruins dinner to get her in a short dress."

Pakkun snorted, his muzzle quirking every so slight into a dog grin. "For a guy who says he's only datin' her to teach a lesson, you sure do some weird things just to see her in a dress," he commented lazily.

Kakashi frowned at the pug as he tugged his boots on and made his way into the living room again to retrieve his wallet from his vest. "Wanting to see her dress doesn't mean anything beyond the fact that she has very nice legs," Kakashi called back. "Rule number thirty-three; sometimes the most obvious solution is the correct one."

The door shut and locked just as the little dog jumped off the bed and went trotting into the cramped living room. Pakkun waited until he could no longer hear Kakashi's footsteps before muttering, "Rule number fifty-six; some missions will break all the rules."


	14. Gonna Make Somebody Love Me

Sakura hissed in pain, her features contorting sharply as she half-hopped, half-stumbled, out of the bathroom clutching a towel around her and rubbing the foot she'd just rammed into the door when she'd jerked it open. Uncaring that footprint shaped puddles marked her trail, she hurried into her room with chattering teeth and a mind that was frantically trying to think of something to wear that would match all the hype she'd put into it.

Stupid… She just _had_ to open her big mouth and tell him she had a dress that she didn't actually have! That was the very, _very_ last time she ever did that. Sakura grabbed her robe, which she'd left draped over the foot of her bed like an idiot before getting in the shower, and wrapped it around herself with a grateful sigh. Immediately, the cold chill brought on by being wet in a nippy apartment felt just a little better. Folding the towel around her dripping hair like a turban, Sakura hurried over to her half open closet door to search for… well, anything at this point.

Something nice… something sexy… It really would have helped if he'd told her where they were going. Seemed to be a nasty habit of his, come to think of it. This time she supposed it was okay though, seeing as their night out was last minute due to her massacring dinner. She _still_ had no idea how that had even happened! Every time she replayed setting the oven in her head, she could have sworn she'd set it to three-twenty-five. Well, it didn't matter now. What was important was that she needed to find a dress and _fast_.

The teal one she'd borrowed from Ino for all of a few hours before their hiking date was out. She'd told him this was a new one, one he hadn't seen before, and wearing it would call her on the lie. Sakura scowled darkly as she tore through her closet, flinging out anything that looked potentially date-like onto her bed for further inspection. So far, the only items were the dress she'd worn on their first date and one she hadn't worn since she was twelve, which wasn't even a serious option. There was no way in hell she was wearing a dress covered in large pink daises and tied in back with a big pink bow.

When all that was left in her closet was the formal kimono she wore for holidays and that chartreuse monstrosity her dad had been so proud of buying for her birthday, Sakura flopped to her knees heavily and gave a despairing groan. Her wardrobe really _was_ as pathetic as Ino always claimed it to be. Even with everything scraped out of the closet and strewn across her bed and floor, she could still see plenty of the hardwood and her rug. Maybe if she hurried she could stop off and do some quick shopping? Kakashi was more than likely going to be late anyway, so that bought her at least a half an hour or so. That was assuming, of course, that he was actually rushing.

Lips twisting thoughtfully, Sakura leaned over and snatched off the t-shirt that was covering her alarm clock to check the time. Twenty to eight. She was supposed to meet him in twenty minutes. Combine that with the potential half an hour gained from Kakashi running late as usual and that meant she had almost an hour to get ready and go shop. She flopped down on her clothing-strewn bed and stared bleakly at the ceiling. There wasn't a girl in the world that could pull that off.

So… it was time to move on to Plan B: Raid the Pig's closet.

Borrowing something from Ino wasn't exactly what she wanted to do, but she really didn't have much choice. At least she could guarantee anything in the blonde's closet was racy enough for what she needed. The only problem was the fact that Ino's breasts were easily three times the size of hers. Even if the dress fit great everywhere else, if she couldn't fill it out on top then she'd look like she had saggy boobs. And there was no way in hell she was gonna go out looking like her breasts flopped down around her belly button.

Scrambling to her feet, Sakura picked her way through the disaster zone that was her room and opened the door to Ino's. Her nose wrinkled at the lingering smell of that vanilla perfume her roommate insisted on spraying _everywhere_ while she felt around on the wall for the light switch. Warm yellow light filled the room, illuminating what looked like a minefield of hastily kicked off shoes, clothing of unknown cleanliness and a whole mess of magazines boasting everything from sex tips to lip plumping secrets. Geeze… Ino really was a pig!

Sakura made her way through the mess and pulled the slotted closet doors opened to begin rummaging through the tightly compacted space. Ino seriously had more clothing than space in her closet, which explained why a lot of her wardrobe was probably on the floor. It was almost impossible to see what each article looked like with the way it was crammed in there. Well… there was only one way to fix that. Ino wasn't going to be happy about it, but this was an emergency.

So, muttering an apology to her absent friend, she grabbed an armful of hanging clothes and dropped them onto Ino's bed before reaching back for more. It took two more armfuls of clothing before she felt like she was making progress in weeding the closet out but there was still a healthy chunk left to go. Sakura shook her head in disbelief, her lips pursing in stern disapproval. She'd always known that clothing made her friend broke, but she'd had no idea it was like this! The next time Ino said she couldn't make rent, Sakura was going to make her sell off some of this crap.

Ino's closet was one of those things where Sakura literally didn't even know where to begin. Even with the closet weeded out to give her more searching room, she had no idea where to start. There were just _so much _to go through! If only she hadn't wasted time with her own wardrobe… Growling in frustration, Sakura dove into the remaining garments in the closet to find something that was sexy by her standards, which meant it had to be nun-like by Ino's. She'd seen what the blonde usually wore on her dates. There was no way she'd _ever_ wear anything like that!

As she searched, Sakura made certain to return all of the unacceptable clothes back to the closet, unsure of where they belonged… or even if there had been an order to begin with. Judging by Ino's lack of organization throughout the room in general, she figured it was safe to assume she didn't sort her closet by color or anything. It was also surprising that such skimpy clothing took up so much space. She wasn't even a third of the way through the pile and she'd already found six tops that she had no idea how to even get into. Apparently, if it had confusing straps, sequins and looked like it should be worn _under _clothing, Yamanaka Ino would buy it.

Despite the fact that Ino's clock was nowhere in sight, Sakura knew her time was running out. Her hair was still wet, she needed to put on some makeup and she still needed to get dressed. So, instead of digging even further through Ino's ample wardrobe, Sakura took the four selections she thought might work and hurried back to her own room. She threw the dresses on her bed and untied her robe with one hand while pulling open her underwear drawer with the other. She grabbed the first pair of panties and bra that she came across, put them on and unzipped the first dress to try on.

Sakura kicked her door closed so that the cracked full length mirror hanging on the other side was facing her. Her reflection made her scowl, and it had nothing to do with the fact that her hair was still wrapped in fluffy yellow terrycloth. The dress wasn't even zipped up and she could already tell that she wouldn't fill in the sweetheart neckline. Okay… next dress.

The reason she'd chosen this one was because it was strapless and Ino had said she could pull off a strapless dress. However, the blonde apparently took her clothing a size up due to her ample chest because as soon as Sakura put the damn thing on the entire bodice area crumpled down around her waist. Without anything to support it, there was no way the stupid thing would stay up. Sighing irritably as she glared at her small breasts, Sakura tugged the dress off and went for the third.

This one at least had thin straps that crisscrossed over an open back. What had drawn her eye to it was the deep purple-pink coloring and the way the short skirt flowed as it moved. Unfortunately… Ino'd had the dress tailored for her more curvaceous figure, which meant it hung like a sack at Sakura's less-than-full hips. Damn it! This was so frustrating!

Instead of bothering with the third, Sakura quickly took off the dress she was currently wearing, returned it and the other one she'd tried on previously to their hangers, and began going through her own clothing again. She refused to believe she didn't have a single thing that would work! There was just no way her wardrobe was that bad. She needed something, _anything_, that she could…

Sakura paused when her hand pulled out something she'd missed the first time through. The reason she'd overlooked it was because, well… it wasn't at all what she'd been looking for. But now that she thought about it... Frowning thoughtfully, she tilted her head at an angle as she studied her discovery more closely. It had more fabric to it than more than three-quarters of Ino's clothing, and she already knew it looked good on her. It was going to be _incredibly_ short though.

Giving a sigh of resignation, Sakura stood up and pulled the article over her toweled head. This was going to work. It _had_ to work! There really wasn't much else she could think of, but still… The idea of wearing _just_ this out was a little uncomfortable.

After all, her 'dress' was really nothing more than a long shirt, the kind she normally wore with leggings underneath. If this actually worked, this would be the second time in one day that Kakashi would see her without her pants on. This time though… she was going to be the only one who knew.

Any doubts as to whether or not she could pull it off flew out the window the minute she saw her reflection. She grinned as she smoothed her hands down the dark magenta material, her fingers plucking at the lower hem to encourage the fabric to stretch lower just a bit. This was pretty much what she'd been looking for, minus the fact that the fabric was just a basic stretch-cotton. Then again, she only ever wore this when she was off duty and usually out with Ino. It wasn't designed to be dressy or anything… but that's what accessories would fix.

Her smile softened a little as she looked the 'dress' over with a more critical eye. The sleeves were loose and fanned out down to her elbows, thus camouflaging how wide her shoulders were. It had a subtle V-shaped neckline that was gathered in the middle and actually gave the illusion of more breast. The only real issue was the 'skirt' length. It was definitely long enough to cover everything, but calling it mid-thigh might be a little generous. The only time she ever showed this much leg was in a bathing suit.

Still though… it was actually pretty good for a spur-of-the-moment pick. Sakura nodded approvingly as she twisted back and forth to double check just how high up the 'skirt' would move when she did. She lifted her arms as high as she could and even turned her back to the mirror and bent over to look between her legs to see if her reflection was flashing panty. It road up pretty high… but everything remained nicely covered. Kakashi wasn't going to be seeing her star-spangled ass anytime tonight, thank god! He'd already seen more than she wanted him to with those stupid flyers.

She popped back into Ino's room to do a little jewelry and shoe theft, scowling when she saw a few items that belonged to _her_ (and had been missing for several months) mixed in with the blonde's accessories. She was gonna have a talk with Ino about that in the morning, especially seeing as she'd specifically asked about a few of those items and received a snippy, 'I don't know where they are' in response.

Okay… now her hair. Sakura grimaced as she fingered her slightly damp locks and glanced at the clock to see if she had time to maybe stick it in the sink for a quick dampening. Fifteen minutes before she was a half an hour late, which was also the soonest she was expecting Kakashi. That wouldn't be enough time to do anything really. Sighing, Sakura brushed her hair out and grabbed the only real hair accessory she had for going out; a thin black scarf made out of some kind of sparkly material. It had been a present from Ino for her birthday the year before and was always good for a quick hair fix. She tied it like she normally did her hitae-ate, fluffing out and encouraging a few stray pieces while tucking others back into the band.

Makeup was a simple affair, seeing as she a) didn't have time and b) hated doing anything really elaborate anyway. Just some eyeliner, a bit of concealer for the minor breakouts near her hairline and her sugar-cookie flavored lip gloss, which also found its way into her purse for later. She also made certain to grab her wallet, just in case Kakashi decided to "forget" his. She didn't think he would, seeing as he'd been gentlemanly enough to pay for their first dinner out, but past experience warned her against leaving home without being prepared when dining with him.

Feeling _much_ better now that she had something to wear, Sakura did one final check in the mirror of skirt length and appearance, decided that the extra tall heels she'd snagged from Ino made her look too slutty and switched out for the simple black dress heels she usually wore for formal events. True, they weren't nearly as sexy as Ino's shoes… but at least she didn't feel like a prostitute in them. And she didn't have to worry about her feet killing her later either.

Sakura snagged her key off the hook by the light switch as she ran out the door, turning to lock it as quickly as she could. The glance she'd managed to get at the clock in the kitchen said she had about ten minutes to get there if she wanted to beat a (hopefully) late Kakashi. She raced down the stairs of her apartment, flashing a pleased smile as Ubizu whistled at her good-naturedly, and was out the door and on her way to meet Kakashi. All she could do now was hope and pray that she knocked him out… and that nobody guessed she was only wearing a shirt.

* * *

The minute he rounded the corner and saw Sakura leaning against the closed tea shop's front, Kakashi came to a dead halt and felt his jaw drop. Never… not in this lifetime or the next… would he have ever thought that Haruno Sakura would _ever_ wear something so scandalously short. He'd seen some pretty racy things from kunoichi before, but damn… He was fairly certain that if she were to bend over he'd be getting an eyeful of her panties again. If only he were that lucky.

Tonight… was going to be a long, difficult night. It was also going to be a brutal exercise in restraint.

Kakashi gave himself a firm slap across the cheek, unaware that a few people looked at him oddly as he did, and reminded himself once again this was a look but don't touch too much mission. Though, if she kept tugging at her dress like she was doing now, that might change. With each discrete pull to try and make that skirt cover more of her thighs, the fabric clung more tightly across her breasts. He wasn't certain, but he could almost swear he saw the faintest press of a lacy trim through the cotton fabric. Kakashi felt a bead of sweat slip down the side of his face. Masochistic. He was definitely masochistic.

Thankful for the fact that she was too busy trying to encourage her skirt to miraculously lengthen to notice he was there, Kakashi took a deep breath, released it and rotated his shoulders to regain his composure. It was only a dress, after all. Yes, it made her already shapely legs look even more appealing, and the potential for getting another glimpse of her panties was rather high… But it didn't mean anything. It wasn't like she'd shown up in nothing but a t-shirt and panties.

Oh… why in the world did he have to put _that_ image in his head?

Stifling a groan at that stray thought, Kakashi jammed his hands into his pockets, his fingers fisted tightly, and headed across the street to where she was waiting. She was either blissfully unaware of the piqued looks being directed at her from several male passersby or she was pointedly ignoring them. For some reason, he didn't like the looks one bit. Yes, she was a pretty girl… and yes, they had essentially been staring at her legs in a fairly similar fashion as he had been. But there was a difference between him and them, and that was the fact that they wouldn't hesitate to slink their hands under her short skirt to see if the trim on her panties matched her bra. And _that_ was completely unacceptable in his book.

This wasn't jealousy. It was merely the fact that Sakura had been his student and was still, officially speaking, an active member of Team Seven. As the leader of Team Seven, he had a responsibility to look after his teammates, whether it was during the course of a mission… or protecting them from would-be wolves. Kakashi recognized the look in their eyes very well; a sort of predatory gleam, a need to make what they saw theirs. If one of those whelps wanted to possess any part of Haruno Sakura… they would have to go through him first.

But if this wasn't jealousy… why did it feel a little like it?

Kakashi wove his way free of the people out for a night on the town just as one brave soul decided to test the waters with the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura's shoulders stiffened warily as the boy made eye contact and smiled slowly. Kakashi sped up without even thinking about it.

The boy was just about to open his mouth to deliver what he probably thought was a very clever line when Kakashi swept in, deftly positioning himself so that he was half blocking Sakura from her would-be suitor. "Sorry I'm late," he said cheerfully while the boy tried to grasp what had just happened. What had happened, boys and girls, was a little thing called 'cock blocking', and it was an embarrassingly easy demonstration of this technique at that.

Sakura's lips twisted into an amused smirk as her gaze slid briefly to the boy still standing to one side and looking very confused. "Take the wrong road in life again?" she teased as she lightly traced the ribbed texture of his sleeves. There was a mischievous glint to her green eyes that said she was trying not to laugh at the baffled boy behind him.

"No, this time it was the nice old lady next door. See, she'd lost her kitten and… Oh, sorry. Did you need something?" Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at the youth who _still_ hadn't taken the hint that Sakura was off limits to his hormonal urges. God, he hoped this one wasn't a shinobi. It would be a sad day indeed if someone so oblivious had made it into the program.

Mouth opening and closing a couple times, the flustered boy glanced from Sakura to Kakashi and back again as confusion finally gave way to understanding. "O-Oh… I was just… I mean… Did they change their hours? Wow."

Feigning mild shock, Kakashi studied the sign posting the teashop's hours as he very casually maneuvered Sakura so that he was now very firmly between her and the boy. "Ah, it looks like they did," he mused out loud, dropping his arm over Sakura's shoulders as she slid her arm around his waist and gave him a grateful, one-armed hug… one that momentarily brought her breasts into contact with his chest. Sometimes, it really paid off to be the hero. "Well, it's a good thing there's another teashop all the way across town, isn't it?" Though he said it pleasantly, there was no mistaking the implied meaning to his words; Leave. Now.

Laughing nervously as he tried to stop staring at Sakura's legs, the boy rubbed his neck sheepishly and began backing away. "Y-Yes. Very good thing. Um… yeah. Sorry." He whirled around then and took off at a fairly good pace, startling the people he dove between in order to get away.

"Have a good night," Kakashi called after him cheerfully while Sakura fought hard not to burst out laughing.

As soon as the boy was out of sight, she broke down into a fit of giggles and peeled herself away from his side. "Did you see his face?" she laughed, her eyes sparkling with more than mirth. "I think you scarred him for life!"

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," he replied with an air of haughty indifference. "All I said was he should be glad there are other teashops in Konoha since he's _such_ a connoisseur."

Grinning deviously at him, Sakura's brows rose as she said sarcastically, "Gee, jealous much?"

"That was an act of mercy, not jealousy. I saved you from having to listen to his pickup line."

"Really?" she drawled, crossing her arms over her chest challengingly. "Because it sounded more like jealousy to me."

"Nope, definitely wasn't. You look wonderful, by the way."

Her smile became flirtier as she smoothed her hands down her dress in a way that made his mouth go a little dry. "Glad you think so, seeing as I _did_ dress up for you."

For some reason, that pleased him more than it really should have. "Did you now?" he questioned, stepping closer to her just to watch the rosy color rise in her cheeks. He let his gaze drop from hers, purposely allowing her to catch him checking her out. When he finally made eye contact again, Kakashi didn't bother hiding his appreciation for her physique. "I'm flattered."

Her lips parted to allow for the sudden quickening of her breath. That look was creeping into her eyes again, the one that made them just a shade darker than usual. It was the same bottle green color that came out whenever he was doing something she rather liked. Sakura could protest it all she wanted, but all he had to do was look at her eyes to know the truth; she was enjoying his proximity very much. It made him smirk beneath his mask to know that she was completely unawares the tables had been turned and that she'd become his mouse.

Sakura cleared her throat and broke the eye contact abruptly to run a nervous hand up and down her arm as if to stimulate some warmth back into it. "So," she began conversationally, her voice a little higher pitched and strained. "Where are we going?"

Letting her change the subject, Kakashi took a step back and shrugged. "Well, we have quite a few options. What are you in the mood for?"

"Food," she answered promptly, grinning as he rolled his eye sarcastically.

"Any particular kind, or should I give you a run-down of the best dumpsters in Konoha?" he remarked dryly as he fell into step beside her. They were heading toward the Entertainment District in Konoha, which was the same area of town Kurropoi was located in. At this hour in the evening, that district was about the only place he could think of with a decent selection of restaurants.

Laughing, Sakura surprised him by reaching between them to twine her hand with his. Excluding their last kiss, she had always seemed a little hesitant about initiating more intimate contact with him. While the feel of her slender, calloused fingers curling around his was nice, he couldn't help but wonder at the sudden change; was it because his plan was working… or was she trying a new angle for her own plan?

"Oh, I don't know. Anywhere that doesn't have vinyl seats will do, I guess," she replied, flashing a smile at him that was designed to melt a lesser man's resolve. Too bad for her that in addition to puppy eyes, he'd also developed an immunity for brain-melting smiles.

Wincing slightly, Kakashi glanced down at her and muttered, "So… I guess a diner's flat out then?" His financial situation was a little tighter than he liked, seeing as he hadn't picked up his mission pay yet. He'd been sort of hoping for somewhere cheap and fast.

The look she gave him said it would be in his best interest to play that question off as a joke. "Do you know how uncomfortable it is to have your bare thighs stick to vinyl seats? Chairs and booths with real, non-vinyl material, please."

Sighing dismally as he bid a silent farewell to what little money he had, Kakashi said, "Okay, fine. Someplace with real chairs or booths, got it." That ruled out about ninety percent of the places he'd been thinking about. He had a momentary flash of regret for having destroyed dinner at her place. Getting her into that dress was a real treat but it was going to cost him a bit more than he'd planned.

He wondered briefly what the odds were that he could talk her into going Dutch on the bill. Knowing his luck and the fact that she probably had even less money than he did, chances were very good they would be doing dishes later that night. Or making a daring escape from the restaurant. He wasn't sure about her, but he certainly wasn't opposed to a good dine-n-dash. The only downside to that plan was that he'd be blacklisted from that establishment for the rest of his life. So… someplace nice but not anywhere he would mourn the loss of should it come to skipping out on the bill.

They passed under a narrow archway that was lit with bright red lights and entered the Entertainment District of Konoha, also known as The Gauntlet due to the fact that it was a mile long stretch of narrow, twisting street crowded on either side by restaurants, bars and clubs of various degrees of decency. One of the most popular things to do was called 'running the Gauntlet'- start at the entrance and hit every single bar on the way down, cross the street and hit everything on the opposite side. With the number of places serving alcohol in the Gauntlet, it was pretty much a guarantee someone was going to find themselves naked in a tree wondering what the hell had happened before the evening was done. Not that he knew from experience or anything…

The entrance to the Entertainment District was located in one of the older sections of the village. Most of the buildings here had once been barracks and dormitories for ninja, back in the days when Konoha had been nothing but a military village. But now that civilians freely mixed with ninja, most of those multi-leveled buildings had been converted into bars and clubs. On each floor was a different establishment so that, in order to get to the ones on the second and third levels, it was necessary to go through the others. It was a good business strategy, really, but it made for an overall seedy appearance from the street. If one knew where to look though, there were several really good hole-in-the-wall establishments to be found.

As they wound their way into the newer segments, the buildings began to change. Instead of sharing, each restaurant and club had its own facility, complete with an appropriately eye catching sign or gimmick to lure customers in. These seemed to be the ones that Sakura's eyes were most drawn to, much to his dismay since they also tended to be a bit pricier. He couldn't blame her though, seeing as some of them were pretty impressive from an aesthetic stand point. They continued to weave their way through the area, her hand curling more firmly around his so as not to lose him in the throng, and she kept making little awed sounds as the building fronts got more and more elaborate.

While it was pretty adorable to watch her face light up excitedly, all Kakashi could think about was the fact that none of them had their menus posted in the windows. That was never, ever a good sign.

Okay… time for a little redirection. Despite the fact that he really wasn't into the party scene, Kakashi did know his way around the Entertainment District fairly well. Of course, most of his knowledge was gleaned from many a drunken night spent stumbling from place to place but he knew of a few locations that would satisfy Sakura's low requirements without robbing him blind in the process. All he had to do was remember what they were called and where they were.

Kurropoi was out, and not just because they'd already been there. He doubted he had enough money to afford a glass of water there at the moment. There was always Aikano's, but the last time he went there the spicy food had ripped his insides to pieces. That was an experience he really didn't care to repeat. Madarano had good food but the atmosphere might be too seedy for her tastes. And Godaraime's needed a reservation…

But Tedzukuri might work. He hadn't been there in a while, but as he recalled the food was good, it was reasonably priced and the atmosphere was fairly relaxing. Plus, it was one of the many hidden treasures in the Entertainment District, so the chances of them getting a table so late were very good.

Flashing a smile over his shoulder, Kakashi gave her hand a tug and began guiding her back the way they had come. "Come on. I think I know the perfect place."

Sakura followed him quickly through the laughing people exiting one bar and stumbling on to the next. Her head whipped around when a woman let out a surprised shriek while shoving a man roughly into the middle of the street. The man laughed riotously as he collided with another group just leaving one of the clubs, ignoring the shouts and dirty glares directed at him.

"Idiots," she muttered, a slightly disgusted look crossing her face as they passed a rather rambunctious couple engaged in an impressive display of oral acrobatics.

Chuckling, Kakashi pulled her in against his side once more and gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, they'll regret it in the morning," he soothed before neatly ushering her around a group of shinobi showing off for their civilian lovers by walking up the side of a restaurant. The girls "oo'd" and clapped excitedly over this _impressive feat_, which made Sakura roll her eyes disdainfully at their antics.

"A hangover isn't much of a punishment," she remarked dryly. "A couple pills, lots of water and vitamin C and- Oh… Is this where we're going?" Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes scanning the front of the building dubiously.

He could understand her trepidation. Tedzukuri didn't really look like much from the outside, what with the worn cement front that had been painted some odd grey-brown shade and a porch that had obviously seen better days. The windows were heavily tinted so that looking in was nearly impossible, the only thing really noticeable from the street being the strands of white pixie lights framing the windows.

Flower bowls containing scraggly, unnourished plants were on either side of the door, an obvious attempt on the owner's part to make it more appealing. As patrons left the restaurant laughing, they had to push hard on a door whose catch was a little difficult to work. But the smell that wafted out once the door was finally opened made Sakura press a hand to her gurgling stomach.

Kakashi appreciatively inhaled the scent of cooking meat and felt his stomach roll eagerly. "This is where we're going," he confirmed as he ushered her toward the door before she could even think to protest.

"Is this a dive bar or something?" Sakura asked in a low voice as he gave the door a hard jerk and held it open for her. "Because if it is-,"

Kakashi laughed as he followed her inside. "It's a restaurant that happens to have a bar, and neither portion constitute as a dive. Tedzukuri may toe the line a bit, but it's definitely not."

Inside the small establishment, it soon became apparent that the darkened windows weren't completely due to the tinting job. To say Tedzukuri's was dimly lit was a bit of an understatement. The overhead lights were just barely glowing, allowing the candles on every table to shine more brightly in the dusky atmosphere. More of the white pixie lights were strung everywhere; around ceiling beams, along the molding, covering the small bar toward the back. There were no tablecloths and the napkins were paper… but there wasn't a vinyl seat within sight.

Sakura was still glancing around uneasily when Kakashi curved his hand around her waist and led her up to the hosting station, his thumb drawing random circles along her hip. He couldn't help smirking as her breath caught in response to his touch. Apparently, she wasn't accustomed to his touch after all. That was a little relieving, seeing as it was rather fun to make her squirm.

"Hello," the hostess said cheerfully as she grabbed two laminated menus from behind her podium. "Two of you?"

"That's right," Kakashi answered.

"Booth, window or other?"

He glanced at Sakura with a questioning lift to his brow. It took her a second before she realized he was leaving the decision up to her, though whether her delayed response was due to her uncertainty of his restaurant choice or his hand fit snugly along her hip remained unclear. Giving her head a little shake, Sakura stammered, "Oh, um… Do you have a window with a booth?"

Smile brightening, the hostess nodded her head for them to follow her. "You came at a good time, you know," she said conversationally. "We're gonna be getting the evening rush in the next twenty minutes or so, which means finding place for anyone's gonna be a nightmare. Here we go!"

The young woman stepped aside to let them into the booth, Sakura taking the spot across from him much to his disappointment. So much for 'accidentally' brushing his hand along her thigh while they ate. The hostess set their menus on the table, as well as their utensils, all while still beaming happily. "Yumi will be your server tonight, and she'll go over the specials for you. Can I get you anything to drink right now? We've got homemade beer, a really good selection of local wine, imported drinks…?"

"I'm fine with water for now," Kakashi answered, already perusing the menu for food.

"Do you have any tea?" Sakura asked hopefully.

Laughing, the hostess nodded and said, "Sure! We've got mint, jasmine, oolong, red roobias, our special Iron Monkey blend and white ginseng. Personally, I really like the Iron Monkey. It's got a really nice spice flavor to it. And if you try it and don't like, I'll be more than happy to bring out something else for you, no extra charge."

"Okay, I'll give it a go. Thank you."

"No problem. Yumi will be right over, so have a good evening!" The chipper young woman bowed and left their table, disappearing behind the swinging door that led to the kitchen.

"Wow... Was she ever cheerful," Sakura remarked dryly. "Makes me wonder what exactly is in this Iron Monkey tea."

Chuckling, Kakashi didn't take his eyes off the menu as he replied, "It's been my experience that you _never_ ask what's in the house-anything. Just accept that it's good and leave it at that."

"Mm… you're probably right. I just hope there's nothing in it that'll show up on a toxicology screening. I'm due next month for one of those."

"I'm surprised you even need to be screened."

Sakura shrugged unconcernedly as she looked over the menu as well. "It's just standard procedure," she explained. "Everyone who works at the hospital has to do it. And it's not like it's bothersome or anything. You go in, do what needs to be done and get out. The only reason it should be a problem is if you've got something to hide."

"As usual, a very practical answer," he commented with an approving nod. That particular trait of hers had been an absolute blessing during the Team Seven days. It had been nice knowing he at least hadn't needed to worry about Sakura doing something incredibly stupid.

She flashed him a bright smile, one that clearly said she was touched by the compliment. Such a funny girl… Most women would have preferred he tell them just how beautiful they were. This one got off by being called practical. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask as he scanned the appetizers again. Haruno Sakura truly was an odd one.

Just then, their waitress arrived with a cheerful grin and a tray carrying their drinks. "Hiya," she greeted as she tucked a piece of her short hair behind her ear. She set their drinks down in front of them before digging an order pad out from her apron pocket. "I'm Yumi, and I'll be taking care of you tonight. We've got a few specials we're running, the most popular one being our homemade sukiyaki for two. It's prepared to order, so if you want more meat than veggies or whatever, we can do that."

Just thinking about sukiyaki made Kakashi's stomach roil in anticipation. This had to be the best spur of the moment idea he'd had in his entire life. He met Sakura's gaze across the table and asked, "Wanna go for it?"

Sakura hesitated, her nose wrinkling a little as her lips twisted thoughtfully. "Sukiyaki does sound really good," she said slowly. "But I don't know… I mean, half the fun with sukiyaki is doing it yourself, right?"

Yumi chuckled as she leaned against the side of the both closest to Sakura. "That's true," she admitted. "And we used to do it tableside, but our landlord was charging us almost double in rent because of the fire liability. Apparently, having a hot plate around a bunch of drunken people constitutes as a fire hazard. So… we had to cut it out. But it's still really good though."

The waitress' reassurance that the sukiyaki was good seemed to convince Sakura. Shrugging, she slid her menu toward the edge of the table and said, "Okay, we'll give it a try. Can we have extra mushrooms, please?"

"Sure thing," the waitress replied as she scooped up their menus. "I'll go get that in for you right away. And don't hesitate to ask if you need anything else, okay?" She disappeared quickly, making her way to the kitchen to place their order.

"You know, I rather like this place," Sakura commented once their server was gone, surprise lacing her words. "It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the service is really pretty good."

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, beaming at her. "Sorry it's not fancier, but I haven't picked up my mission pay yet, so…"

Instantly, Sakura pressed a horror-stricken hand over her mouth, her eyes widening considerably. "You're broke?" she exclaimed. "Oh…I'm so sorry! Had I known-,"

Kakashi waved off her concern quickly. "No, no, don't worry about it," he insisted, prompting her mouth to close abruptly. "It's not your fault." Which was the truth. She wasn't the one who had ruined their dinner. He was. And, while he didn't regret doing it, he did feel bad that she thought she was responsible for the charcoal chicken.

Sakura's lips curled uncertainly as she studied the dim candle on their table. Several seconds of silence passed between them before she conceded with a reluctant nod. "Okay… but we're getting separate checks tonight. I'd offer to pay for you, but I'm sort of limited myself."

"It's a deal." Unable to resist the urge, Kakashi moved swifter than she could follow and ruffled her hair well and good, causing her to let out an outraged squawk. Once he was satisfied with the job, he sat back and grinned at her. Sakura just sat there with her hair suitably awry, her green eyes glaring at him through a few loosened strands. He really couldn't resist giving her a hard time.

Huffing irritably, Sakura once again set her hair to order. Her movements were slow and stiff, as if she were just barely resisting the urge to punch him through the booth. "You are such a child sometimes, Kakashi-sensei," she muttered darkly. "I seriously think I deserve a medal or a trophy for tolerating you."

"Oh, come now. I'm not _that_ disagreeable," Kakashi admonished, glancing toward the door on impulse as people suddenly began piling in. Hmm… the hostess hadn't been kidding about their timing. Apparently, Tedzukuri's was the place to be down this way.

Snorting and shaking her head in disbelief, Sakura lifted her teacup to her lips and retorted sharply, "I swear I saw a t-shirt somewhere that said 'I Survived Hatake Kakashi'."

"Oo… That's a good line for tourism. 'Come to Konoha and experience the marvel that is Hatake Kakashi'," he deadpanned in return. Any hostility she might have still held for him dissipated with that, leaving her giggling as she sipped her tea.

Her eyes still glowing merrily, Sakura set her cup down and leaned back in her booth. "That sounds more like a reason to _avoid_ coming to Fire Country than anything else. Plus it'd be false advertising. There's nothing at all marvelous about you."

Feigning indignance, Kakashi leveled a hard look at her from his open eye. "You honestly can't think of _one_ thing that's pretty fantastic about me?" he demanded.

Sakura tapped her lips slowly with one finger, as if she had to think long and hard about this. After several seconds where he simply watched her act, she broke out into a wide, mischievous grin and shook her head. "Sorry, can't think of a single one."

Nodding once, Kakashi murmured, "I see," before he made as if to leave.

Instantly Sakura was reaching across the table and tugging at his sleeve to get him to sit down again, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," she exclaimed, laughing as he dropped into his seat again with an air of reluctance. "You do have your good qualities, Kakashi-sensei, really."

"Like the fact that I've not called you Cherry-chan yet?" he quipped pointedly.

Blushing, Sakura released his sleeve quickly and folded her hands in her lap. "Sorry," she said, wincing a little. "I really don't mean to, it's just… well… You've _always_ been Kakashi-sensei. It's kinda hard to break the habit, that's all."

Deciding he wasn't quite through making her squirm, Kakashi sighed dramatically and ruffled his own hair. "It's alright, Sakura. I understand."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she waited for him to drop the bomb.

Still pretending to be deeply upset, he placed an elbow on the table and propped his chin on his palm, directing a disappointed glance toward the ceiling. "It's obvious that you're trying to keep your distance because you want to break up with me and are afraid of shattering my poor, scarred heart."

He just barely dove out of the way when she went to swat his head, snickering as he quickly moved his legs out of the way of her kicking feet. "You arrogant… argh!" she snarled angrily, though he could tell by her eyes that she was trying hard not to laugh. "That's not it at all!"

Kakashi caught her wrist easily when she went to smack him again and didn't release it, even when she pulled her arm back sharply. Instead, he forced her to turn her hand over (which took a surprising amount of effort considering the difference in muscle mass between them) so that her palm was now resting against his. Sakura froze completely when he brushed a light kiss along her fingers, his gaze locked with hers the entire time.

"You really are too sensitive, Sakura," he teased quietly, running one finger along each of hers gently. "And you're also as bad as I am about the teasing."

"Am not," she argued, though her voice was a little too breathy to offer real heat.

A low hum came from him as he continued to study her slim hand like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. In a way though, her hands _were_ rather intriguing. Not as soft as he would have imagined them to be, but not so course that he couldn't tell they belonged to a woman.

Her fingers were slender and delicate looking, something that was aided by the pale color of her skin. But he now saw the tiny scars that marred her knuckles, looking like very fine cracks in porcelain. Sakura had the hands of a kunoichi; deceptive in their femininity but completely capable of killing a man. It was quite a change from the little girl who'd come to training with freshly manicured nails… though he could tell that was still something she indulged in, given how well kept her cuticles were.

Kakashi watched as those fingers twitched a little as he traced over her knuckles softly, tickling her skin. He could feel her eyes on him, knew that her breath had caught again. A glance at her face allowed him to see the flush of pink to her cheeks and that darker color to her eyes that he was really starting to like. Sakura's gaze was fixed on their hands, following each stroke of his fingertip as if the action had her mesmerized.

When he finally released her hand, there was a moment of hesitation where Sakura's lips parted as if getting ready to protest. But just as quickly as the impulse had come, it was gone again and she was quickly pulling her hand to safety under the table while her cheeks turned a shade that rivaled her dress in intensity.

As she busied herself with tracing a nail along the rim of her teacup, Kakashi slouched back against the booth, stretching his legs out under the table so that his knees 'accidentally' brushed against hers. Sakura's finger froze on its lap around her teacup briefly before resuming as if nothing at all had happened. "So," she said after a bit as she folded her hands around the teacup and leaned forward expectantly. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Kakashi inquired before taking a sip of water.

Rolling her eyes at his deliberate avoidance of the topic, Sakura elaborated, "I mean, tell me about _you_. What do you like to do besides read _Icha Icha _nonstop? How did you end up with so many dogs? Anything, as long as it's something I don't know already."

"So… you want to know my hopes and dreams for the future?" he mocked, earning him a look that aimed for annoyance and came out more amused.

"Sure, if that's what you feel like sharing," she laughed, nudging his knee under the table with her own. "I was just aiming for hobbies and stuff though. You said a while back that you've got several. So… what are some of them?"

Kakashi knew this attempt to get to know him was more than likely just her way of establishing a deeper connection, which was crucial to seduction missions. To not giver her information might clue her in that he wasn't oblivious to what she was trying to do. However… she was asking him to open up and share his private doings with her. That was just something he didn't really do, no matter who was doing the asking. No one, not even the group of people he normally associated with, knew everything about him. What they did know they usually found out by accident… or on those rare occasion where he needed some help walking home.

So… what to do? She really did have him checked in a corner, so to speak. The only two options he had was to give her an honest answer… or give her an honest answer that was so unbelievable that she thought he was teasing her. Decisions, decisions…

Deciding door number two would provide the most entertainment, Kakashi smoothed his hands flat against the table top and took a deep breath in, as if preparing to share something of the utmost secrecy. "Well, something I like to do when I have the time is…," he began, purposely stalling for dramatic affect.

Sakura's eyes were gleaming anxiously and she was probably unaware that she was now leaning so far across the table that he could see clear down her bodice. He couldn't help but wonder if the same purple, green and pink striped pattern adorned her panties as well. "Yes?" she prompted when his words trailed off.

Keeping his expression completely blank, Kakashi held her gaze steadily and said, "Quilting."

There was a moment where all they did was stare at each other, him without a trace of emotion and she as if he'd just told her he was going to start going in drag on missions. Sakura was the first to break that stillness when she leaned back and released a low, controlled breath. "You know," she replied slowly, as if still trying to process this new information. "I think that's almost as bad as the one about getting lost on the road to life."

"You think so?" He couldn't help the thread of laughter in his voice at her response. Success was such a wonderful thing. She didn't believe him, and he couldn't blame her in the least. Whoever heard of an elite shinobi who enjoyed quilting in his spare time? Unbeknownst to her though… It was the truth. There was a very nice shuriken patterned quilt on his bed to prove it.

"Mm-hm. If you're gonna be a pathological liar you _might_ wanna try making the lies more believable."

Kakashi chuckled at her sarcastic remark, shaking his head in appreciation for her quick wit. Sakura always had been the smartest one in the group. It was good to see that intelligence extended into other areas as well. "I'll take that under advisement then," he remarked dryly.

Grinning, Sakura nudged his calf with her foot good-naturedly and accused, "You're avoiding the question, by the way."

"How do you figure that?"

"I asked you to give me a hobby."

"I _did_ give you a hobby," Kakashi pointed out, idly tracing a random pattern on the tabletop with his fingertip.

This time, Sakura's foot connected just a little harder with his shin, prompting him to move it out of the line of fire. "I meant a hobby that _you _do, not other people."

"And just how do you know I don't quilt?" he challenged, still highly amused that she didn't believe him.

Sakura shot an aggravated glare at him and replied wryly, "Because quilting is for nice old ladies and grandmothers. It's _not_ something that sadistic, question-avoiding, elite shinobi do in their spare time."

Shrugging away her response, Kakashi scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Then I guess I have no choice but to prove it to you."

Snorting, Sakura rolled her eyes and flounced back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "What, you brought quilting supplies with you instead of _Icha Icha _tonight?" she quipped sarcastically.

Laughing softly, Kakashi replied, "Sadly, no. Had I known I'd have to prove my quilting prowess though, I would have."

"Well, unless I see you in the process of quilting, I'm not gonna buy that you do it."

"Fair enough. Want me to make you one?"

Arching a disbelieving brow, Sakura sighed and spun her teacup offhandedly . "Sure, why not?" she grumbled. "But unless you work on it with me watching, I'm not gonna believe you."

Nodding, Kakashi extended his hand across the table for her to shake, as if they'd just reached some grand compromise in a disagreement. "It's a deal then. But you only get to watch the beginning stages. I want the finished product to be a surprise."

Warily, Sakura took his hand in return, her eyes narrowing as they shook on the arrangement. "How do I know you're not just going to pretend like you know what you're doing before sending out for a professional to finish the job?" she asked dubiously.

"Want to get a third party involved?" he offered solicitously. If she was aware of the fact that their polite handshake had evolved into them holding hands across the table once again, she didn't give any indication of it.

She paused in bringing her tea to her lips, eying him curiously over the porcelain rim. "How?"

"Simple. We find someone we can trust to watch the progress, without reporting the details of my masterpiece to you. It'll have to be someone we both agree on though. No offense, but I wouldn't trust your roommate not to go blabbing about what it looks like."

"And no offense, but I think all your friends are as sneaky and conniving as you are."

"I protest the use of the word 'friend' for about ninety-percent of the people I associate with."

A small, amused smile tugged at the corners of her lips, a glint of that same emotion appearing in her leaf-green eyes. "But you won't deny the sneaky and conniving part?" she teased.

"Of course not," Kakashi remarked. "They're all ninja. Sneaky and conniving are two of the traits necessary for the job. Every ninja should have them. Including you."

Sakura gave a subtle start at that as her brow furrowed with what looked almost like worry. Kakashi made certain the expression on his face remained neutrally teasing as she studied him carefully for several seconds. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head right then; was that just an innocent comment, or was he hinting that he was on to her? Oh… it really was such fun messing with that pretty head of hers.

She recovered fairly quickly though, giving herself a little shake as a slow, amused smile curved her lips. Apparently, she was choosing not to take that seemingly innocuous remark beyond face value. So much for all those lectures on looking underneath the underneath. In a way, he was a little disappointed that she hadn't caught on completely, since it reflected badly on a lesson he'd thought was firmly drilled into her by now. And yet… it was also good that she hadn't. After all, there was still something to be learned here.

"So," Sakura began while squeezing his hand playfully. "If you don't deliver on this masterpiece of a quilt, what do I get?"

"Who says you get anything?" Kakashi fired back promptly. "This was an agreement, not a bet."

"Yes, but as with most agreements there are usually fallouts for failure of completion," she argued. "Like, if you break contract with a trade ally, they have the right to press for damages and loss of income. Or if you get caught sharing village secrets they send a hunter squad after you."

Eyebrows arching, Kakashi asked in an amused tone, "Are you suggesting you'll get the Hokage to send a squad of ANBU hunters after me for not making you a quilt?"

Laughing at his joke, Sakura wrinkled her nose and said, "No, nothing _that_ extreme! More like... Oh, I don't know… you have to give me _Icha Icha Paradise_ for one whole week."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully as he considered this new stipulation. "And if I'm successful?" he pressed curiously. The fact that she'd named his beloved book as the prize for the incompletion of the promised quilt made every fiber in his being scream out a warning. It occurred to him then that he'd never had the chance to finish his coin toss. Damn it… and the coin was still in his other pants pocket, too.

Sakura blinked slowly as the realization that a bet worked both ways suddenly dawned on her. Taking a slow breath in, her eyes flickered to the side thoughtfully as she tried to come up with something that would equate in personal value to _Icha Icha Paradise._ "If you're successful," she repeated slowly, as if still thinking through her end of the arrangement. "I'll… I'll flash you."

It was now his turn to blink slowly as he regarded the girl across from him, not fully trusting that his ears had heard correctly. Did she really just say she'd flash him if he made her a quilt? Clearing his throat, Kakashi asked hesitantly, "With or without a bra?"

Cheeks coloring brightly, Sakura delivered an almost savage kick to his leg, causing him to wince as he reach down to rub the tender spot. "_With_ a bra, of course," she hissed angrily.

"Just thought I'd check," he muttered.

"Well, you should have known better! Like I'd flash you without a bra just for some quilt…"

Pride stung that she would refer to his work as 'just some quilt', Kakashi stopped rubbing his abused shin in favor of grabbing the spot right above one of her knee caps… the one he knew from an accident during a training session would throw her into spastic fits of laughter. Poor Sasuke hadn't wanted to go anywhere near her legs after the resulting -and completely unintentional- injury he'd received to his, ah… male anatomy. And Sakura had spent the next three weeks groveling for the dark haired boy to forgive her, as he recalled.

A loud, high-pitched squeak tore from her throat as her entire body jerked almost violently, her movements so sharp and sudden that the table actually rocked on its base. Water and tea splashed over the sides of their cups to splatter onto the flat surface as the table went rocking back into place once again. By the time he was done, Sakura was almost half way under the table and frantically clinging to her skirt to keep it from riding up, while a good majority of the restaurant was staring at them curiously.

Trying very hard not to laugh as she squirmed her way back into a sitting position with a raging blush coloring not only her cheeks but her neck as well, Kakashi drawled, "Well… That was certainly fun."

Scowling and looking as if she wanted nothing more than to jam her chopsticks in his eye, Sakura continued to pluck fussily at her dress as she muttered, "Sure, if by fun you mean that was the most horrible thing in the world."

"It's only horrible if you're on the receiving end of it. Personally, I rather enjoyed it. I haven't seen you jump like that since that one time a snake found its way into your bedroll."

Sakura grimaced at that memory, her shoulders shuddering visibly. "Don't remind me. I thought it was one of Naruto's stupid pranks."

"Mm… I remember that." And the reason he remembered that was because he'd had to restrain a particularly furious kunoichi from beating her teammate unconscious. He'd sported claw marks down his arms for a solid week as a result of saving Naruto's life.

Apparently, she remembered that as well because she peeked guiltily at him through lowered lashes. "You were really nice that day. I don't think I ever thanked you for it."

A thread of warmth wound its way through his chest at her words, prompting him to smile even as he shrugged it off by saying, "It was nothing." All he'd done was fish the snake out of her bedroll and let her have his when she'd looked ready to puke at the idea of sleeping in hers again.

It was a damn good thing they'd been out in the middle of nowhere at the time. If anyone from the village had caught him sleeping in a pink, floral printed sleeping bag… And the reason neither of the boys had said a word was due to some veiled threats in regard to them being able to wake up in the morning _should_ it get out. So… his reputation for being a hard ass remained nice and safe to this day.

The smile she gave him was warm and maybe just a touch affectionate as she traced a shy finger along the rim of her cup. "Well, to you it was probably nothing, but to a terrified girl… it was pretty cool."

"_Pretty_ cool?" he repeated, arching a brow.

The look on her face said she was completely unmoved by his nudging. "Yes, pretty cool," she said firmly, as if there would be no debating this fact. "As in, I thought you were cool for maybe four-point-two seconds before you did something that was so completely uncool that I forgot all about it."

Slumping dismally, his posture the very picture of the word despondency, Kakashi sighed heavily and muttered, "You _really_ know how to stroke a guy's ego, Sakura."

Grinning cheekily, Sakura propped her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together to rest her chin on. "If you feel so abused, why do you keep coming back for more?"

"For the same reason I agreed to teach; I'm a glutton for punishment."

"So… you like being punished?"

Kakashi fought very hard not to read more into the question than innocent fun. Sakura didn't mean it the way his perverted mind heard it, despite the teasing little smile playing on her lips. However… she'd already done several things to readjust his perspective of the 'innocent girl' act he'd been used to from her. What if this was yet another attempt to knock him off balance?

Holding her gaze as he sprawled more comfortably in the booth, Kakashi said in a low, sensual tone, "Depends mostly on who's doing the punishing."

Color tinted her cheeks and her eyes widened a touch in surprise at his words. Sakura's lips parted to release a low, shuddering breath. Her eyes, normally the color of new leaves, were now a shade closer to being evergreen as her tongue flicked out to wet lips that had suddenly gone dry. Kakashi couldn't help but follow that almost imperceptible swipe of pink as it quickly darted out from her mouth. Once again, he clamped down hard on an overactive imagination trying to plague him with other things that pert tongue could do.

"R-Really?" she stammered breathlessly, her fingers skimming over the table top nervously.

Nodding slowly, Kakashi reached across the space between them and traced his fingers over hers lightly, instantly stopping their uneasy movements. "Really," he replied softly. "If it's someone like, say, Tsunade doing the punishing, you know it's going to be something awful."

It took her a few seconds before the joke finally sank in through the haziness caused by their verbal foreplay. Sakura's brows furrowed slightly as she repeated his words to herself, her lips moving but no sound coming out. When it finally occurred to her that he hadn't been referring to anything sexual at all (changing the subject for his benefit as well as hers), Sakura broke out into a wide grin and pinched his hand sharply.

"You're such a dork, Kakashi," she giggled, catching her lower lip between her teeth as their fingers twined once again.

"I can live with that," he answered pleasantly. "I'd rather be a dork than-,"

"Well, well… isn't this a pretty picture," a man's voice drawled from the crowd of people.

Kakashi stifled a groan as both he and Sakura turned to look at the couple separating from the rest of the patrons to approach their table. He knew the owner of that voice very well. He also knew from past experience that when said owner smiled like he'd just won a year's worth of lap dances that it never boded well. And something told him that all that bad energy was going to be directed on him any minute. Well… there was only one way to find out what he'd done to deserve such bad juju, and that was to play along.

And then exact retribution on the offending party later if it turned out to be _really_ bad juju.

Forcing a cheerful expression onto his face, Kakashi flicked his hand in an idle wave toward Genma and Shizune. "Yo! What are you two doing here?"

* * *

This… was awesome. This was the best thing ever. If it weren't for the fact that Shizune put her extensive knowledge of the human body to deviant use in bed, he'd _almost_ say it was as good as sex.

After all, it wasn't every day a guy got to blackmail Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja of Konoha. And Genma would be damned if he wasn't going to savor every last minute of this rare and precious treat.

Shrugging as he chewed on the toothpick stuck between his lips, Genma regarded his victim with wicked delight. "Oh, nothing much. Shizune and I are just out for dinner. Same as you two, apparently," he drawled, ignoring Shizune as she whispered his name like a plea. He rubbed the hand curved around her waist along her hip in a comforting gesture, letting her know silently he knew what he was doing. And what he was doing was getting revenge on a two-faced, copying son of a bitch.

Kakashi knew something was up, no surprise there. It was evident in the little things, such as the way his eyes remained cheerfully crinkled and how he was nodding as if what Genma had said was the most logical thing he'd heard all year. But Kakashi also wasn't simply telling him to shove off, which meant he was going to play along… for now.

The silver haired man indicated both Genma and Shizune with a quick gesture and asked, "Going for the monochromatic look, are we?" He was referring to the fact that they were both dressed in all black. "Or are you trying to pass off that matching couple look?"

Snorting contemptuously, Genma raked a hand back through his loose hair and replied, "Not hardly. We're in mourning right now, so show a little respect." As if he'd be caught dead wearing matching track uniforms or anything like that! He and Shizune took very careful measures to make sure that sort of thing _never_ happened. Some people (like Hatake Kakashi) would never let them hear the end of it if they became 'that couple'.

The once-over Kakashi gave Shizune clearly said there was no way in hell he thought her dress was at all appropriate for mourning. Genma agreed, though it was with a bit more enthusiasm than the silver haired man. What wasn't to love about shiny black fabric that left a lot of bare back and leg for viewing? "Is that so?" Kakashi murmured thoughtfully, not at all convinced.

"Oh, that's awful," Sakura exclaimed in dismay, a look of utmost sympathy written across her face. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Genma-san. May I ask who you're mourning for?"

Sighing dramatically, he pressed a dramatic hand to his chest and ignored the fact that Shizune was more than likely rolling her eyes at him. "Tonight, we're in mourning… for my social life," he announced austerely.

The reaction he got from the other couple was a matching set of blank stares. All they needed now to make the scene complete was a string quartet of crickets.

"Do I even wanna ask _why_?" Sakura asked sarcastically, much to Shizune's amusement.

Shooting his snickering lover an annoyed glance, Genma replied curtly, "Sure you do, seeing as your man here's part of the reason why tomorrow is gonna suck more than an extended mission in Suna during the summer."

Immediately, Sakura swung a hard, accusing glare toward Kakashi, who held his hands up as if to ward off an attack and replied, "Don't look at me like that. This is the first I've head of it, too. Been away on a mission for almost two weeks, remember?"

"Please, just ignore him," Shizune pleaded, twisting away as Genma tried to give her hip a good pinch. "He's just upset that he has to start training his genin team tomorrow."

Traitorous woman. And all this time he'd thought she loved him. Groaning, Genma swiped a hand down his face and bit out, "It's not the training part that's bothersome. It's the fact that Iruka _hand-picked_ the little demons."

"They surely aren't as bad as the files indicated," his lover argued. That was one thing he truly did adore about her; Shizune was ever the optimist.

Unfortunately, optimism didn't change the fact that Iruka had still been holding a grudge against him when picking who got which team. Apparently, returning stolen Academy property (which hadn't been stolen by him in the first place) was a sure fired way to piss off the instructors there. He knew he should have left that stupid thing out in the middle of the damn forest!

Genma arched a brow at Shizune and said dryly, "You saw their Academy files. If I don't attempt to fly off the Hokage monument, I'll be in jail for mass murder. I mean it." Sighing dismally, he shook his head and cast a sad glance at the tabletop. "Maybe I should just walk in and fail them like a certain someone."

"Surely you aren't referring to me as that 'certain someone'. Each and every genin they sent my way had a fair shot at getting through," Kakashi drawled, fixing the sort of glare on Genma that had probably made his own genin team wet themselves. Too bad for him the person he was directing that glare at was a grown-ass man.

Genma waved that off as if it were only a minor detail and leaned against the side of the booth Kakashi was sitting in. "Anyway," he continued. "That's all beside the point. What I'm doing here, at this very moment, is collecting on a debt… which is now being charged interest seeing as part of the reason Iruka felt the need to select my team personally is all your fault, Hatake."

Once again, Sakura shot a what-did-you-do-now look at her date, to which Kakashi gave a subtle shake of his head. "I don't remember a debt," he mumbled as Shizune gave her own date's waist a tug and whispered something about maybe finding another restaurant. Umm… No. It didn't matter where they went at this hour, the wait was going to be at least thirty to sixty minutes. They'd just been about to leave when Genma had spotted a familiar mop of pale silver hair and discovered that, hey, they had a shot at getting seated sooner.

Ignoring her, Genma motioned to the table with a tilt of his chin, earning him a narrow eyed don't-even-think-it glare from the man next to him. "I ran an _errand_ for you before you left, one that took me by the Academy as you may recall. And as a payment, I thought we'd join you guys for dinner so that we don't have to wait an hour for a table to open up."

It was a reasonable request, one that it looked like the copy ninja was going to answer with a firm 'hell, no'… That was until his much younger, and far kinder, date opened her mouth and said, "That'd be lovely! We just ordered not too long ago, so I'm sure it won't be a problem for our waitress to add onto it."

Shizune, always the polite one of their dynamic duo, bowed deeply and said with utmost sincerity, "We really appreciate this, Kakashi-san, Sakura-chan."

Smiling happily, Sakura scooted into the far corner of the booth to make room for Shizune. Kakashi meanwhile gave Genma what had to be the dirtiest look he'd received in a long time. To further grind in the fact that the copy ninja's 'date' was being horned in on, Genma nudged the seated man with his knee and said, "Shove over, Kakashi. I'm not gonna stand and eat."

"Maybe it'd be better for you to get a chair?" the other man hinted, not at all attempting to be civil. He gave a sudden jerk and winced as the pink haired girl across from him sent him a meaningful glare. Sighing irritably, Kakashi dutifully crammed himself into the corner and allowed Genma to drop into the spot next to him.

The waitress circled back around to their table, smiling broadly as she noted the newcomers. "Hey, there," she spoke over the din of the other patrons, dropping two menus in front of Genma and Shizune. "I'm Yumi. Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"Yeah, do you have Orion on tap?" Genma asked as he flipped the menu open, letting the cover whack Kakashi's knuckles. The result of that was Kakashi studiously ignoring his existence, which was just as good a response as any. Oh… tonight was going to be _such_ fun!

"Sure do! Sixteen or twenty-two?"

"Twenty-two. I'm trying not to remember the reason why I've gotta get up in the morning."

Chuckling, the waitress looked toward Shizune for her order.

"I'll have a glass of the house white, please," the dark haired woman said, smiling pleasantly.

Nodding, Yumi went to place their drink orders, leaving behind a very mixed atmosphere at the table. As soon as she was gone, Shizune and Sakura instantly struck up a quiet, happy conversation involving hospital talk while across from them, well… Things were fairly frigid.

Smoothing a finger over a deep gouge in the table top, Kakashi muttered, "What are you up to, Genma?"

Genma leered at his sometimes-friend and flicked at the strands of hair that had fallen into his eyes airily. "I think that should be pretty obvious by now, Hatake," he replied, speaking just as low so that the ladies didn't catch on that all wasn't peachy keen between their dates.

"I have nothing to do with the fact that you allowed yourself to get caught returning a projector."

"True… but you _are_ responsible for stealing that projector to begin with, which in turn is why Iruka decided to stick me with the loveliest group of kiddies he could find. So, in a roundabout way… you're totally to blame for me being miserable for the next several months."

Kakashi gave an imperceptible shake of his head, his brow rising briefly in a display of disbelief. "Your logic sometimes is simply astounding," he remarked sarcastically.

Grin widening, Genma shrugged and leaned back as the waitress returned with his beer. "Yeah, I get that a lot," he said, choosing to ignore the lack of sincerity in that last comment. "But… you know what they say about paybacks."

"That they're like your mother?"

Now _that_ he couldn't help laughing at, especially when he caught the slight crinkling near the corner of Kakashi's eye that meant the other man was smiling as well. Yeah, the reason he'd suggested trying to sponge some seating off of Kakashi instead of finding another place was mostly because he wanted to make the copying son of a bitch squirm… but that didn't mean he wanted to completely alienate one of the few people he truly did regard in a friendly sense.

That was one good thing about Hatake Kakashi; very little actually bothered him, and when it did he was usually over it in a matter of minutes, unless it was something serious of course. What Genma was doing now constituted as maybe some slight feather ruffling, but nothing more.

"Cute, Hatake," he chuckled, earning a confused glance from the women across from them. "Next time I see dear old mom, I'll tell her you said that."

"Mm. You do that. And tell her thanks for the apple cookies. They were delicious."

"Will do. Hey, Shizune, wanna split the spicy shrimp stuff?"

Shizune blinked quickly, stopping mid-sentence in whatever she and Sakura had been talking about. "Oh, umm… What page is that on?" she asked distractedly as she flipped through the menu.

"Page three, middle," Genma supplied. "I'm sorta feeling something with a kick." He grinned and winked at her as he brought his beer up for a quick sip. The 'kick' he was referring to would come later, when the cayenne pepper took effect.

After reading something not too long ago about spicy foods being good for the libido, he'd rediscovered his love of tingling lips and burning dental palette. Not that he _needed_ any chemical stimulation in order to deliver top notch loving whenever his woman wanted it. Sometimes, all Shizune had to do was look at him a certain way and it was on. But an extra little boost never hurt, right?

Groaning under her breath, Shizune slapped the menu onto the tabletop and frowned disapprovingly at her lover. "For the last time, Genma, foods are _not_ aphrodisiacs. There is absolutely no medical or scientific documentation to support this!"

And then there were the times where she completely sucked the fun out of something with her insanely detailed knowledge of the medical world. Pouting as he fingered a corner of the plastic coated menu that was beginning to curl up, he muttered, "Just because it hasn't been dissected within an inch of its life in a lab…"

"Actually, Tsunade-shishou was just talking about that today," Sakura piped up in support of Shizune, who was now smirking in his direction at having found a fellow playmate in the sciences to confirm what she said was true. "She was saying that food as an aphrodisiac was nothing better than a placebo and that it was the belief people put behind those old wives' tales that made them appear effective."

"Oh, yeah?" Genma countered immediately, smiling as the younger girl leaned away from the finger he was pointing at her like it was a kunai. "Then how do you explain all those old horny bastards who eat a plate of raw oysters and then spring a boner every time a pretty girl walks by?"

"Pretty gross imagery is how I'd explain it," Kakashi remarked blandly, causing the senbon user to snicker and give him an approving nudge for his quick wit. Sakura bit back her own little smile at the pale haired man's quip while Shizune's frown intensified as the 'schoolmarm look' settled firmly across her features. Genma groaned and rubbed a hand over his face, preparing himself for yet another medical lecture.

"First of all," she began, ticking the points off on her fingers. "It's perfectly possible for older men to still be fully capable of an erection _without_ the aid of supplements. Second of all, you're not including the fact that there are plenty of people who eat oysters regularly who do _not_ experience any increase in sexuality. And thirdly, may I remind you again that there is no laboratory testing that has proven this is even possible? So, until I see it on a slide or in a medical journal… it's not true."

Holding up his hands defensively, Genma exclaimed, "Okay, okay! Thanks for the info, Medic Shizune. Do you want the spicy shrimp or not?"

"That sounds good, actually. Can we get extra limes on the side though?"

"Anything you want." Genma took the menu Shizune handed to him and set it along the edge of the table, winking at his lover to let her know he'd only been teasing her. In return, she flashed a flirtatious glance back, one that said aphrodisiacs wouldn't be needed once they got home. Sa-weet! Basking in the knowledge that he'd be getting some grade-A sexing later, Genma nodded toward Sakura and asked, "So, how's the old hag treating you, Sakura-chan? Working you like a slave, I can imagine."

A cold, censorious look flashed through her bright green eyes, one probably brought on by the fact that he'd referred to her precious mentor as an old hag. But just as she was about to open her mouth to start on what promised to be a tirade to rival Shizune's, Kakashi interjected smoothly and said, "Actually, Sakura was saying something earlier about the Hokage teaching her to make poisons. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

There was just a bit of a suggestive purr to his question, one that wasn't at all sexual and that Sakura picked up on without any further prompting. Back straightening primly as a wicked little smirk teased the corners of her lips, she replied cheerfully, "Yes, that's right. It's really very interesting, Genma-san. Like, did you know most of the ingredients for poisoning someone can actually be found within the home? Why, I can't even begin to imagine how nicely stocked a restaurant would be…"

Clearing his throat as he took the hint to leave off of the Hokage for now or risk having an amateur dose him up, Genma nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, sounds really fascinating."

The waitress returned then with a refill on drinks as well as to take their order, giving Genma a much appreciated break on the topic of potentially being poisoned. The menus disappeared with the waitress, as did the not-so-fun conversation from only moments before. Running his fingers back through his hair idly, Genma turned and scrutinized the man next to him. "I thought you said you'd just returned from a mission, Kakashi," he commented, confusion pinching at his brow.

Nodding once, Kakashi set his water down and answered, "I did."

"Then how come you don't smell like a wet dog?" He was referring to a time where he'd bumped into Kakashi returning from a long-haul mission in Wave Country. The copy ninja had been away for a month tracking down some missing nin. He'd camped out most of the time due to the quarries' constant movement, and Wave Country being what it was… well, it rained. Nonstop. Kakashi had been forced to curl up with his mutts to stay warm and had come home smelling the worse for ware.

Their landlady hadn't wanted to let him in with the stench and the thick layers of mud… so Genma, being the gentleman that he was, had taken Kakashi out back and hosed him down good. And he never missed a chance of reminding the other man about that incident.

"It's a little thing called a shower and a bar of soap. Apparently, it's all the rage," Kakashi replied sardonically, having caught the reference.

Playing along with the deadpanned tone, Genma arched his brows and drawled thoughtfully, "That so?"

Kakashi nodded again, the very picture of gravity as he regarded Genma with a level stare. "Mm-hmm. Women love it." He flashed a wink across to his date, who in turn made a scoffing sound as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's _really _what caught my attention," Sakura commented dryly, though with a smile twitching at her lips. "Standard issue soap is soooo sexy."

"Well, seeing as I apparently have absolutely no redeeming qualities, I can only assume you keep coming back because the showers really do work," the silver haired man retorted with a happy eye crease.

Sakura's eyes were warm as she reached across and gave Kakashi's hand an affectionate squeeze. When he turned his hand over in response so that their palms met, both Genma and Shizune shared long, pointed looks. Hatake Kakashi wasn't the sort of man who did public displays of affection with his dates, not without quite a bit of arm twisting from the lady. Shizune probably thought this was some groundbreaking achievement for the slightly reclusive man, but Genma knew better than that. The reason he was being amenable was probably more because of the fact that he was playing the younger girl than because he'd suddenly discovered his softer, squishy side.

Still though… there was a warmth to the man's dark eye that seemed a little too genuine to be faked. Kakashi was a good actor when the occasion called for it, but Genma doubted even the Copy Ninja was _that_ good. Immediately, he shoved any thoughts that perhaps Kakashi was actually falling for his target out of his head. This was business, and Hatake Kakashi _never_ mixed business with pleasure.

But oh, the irony if that was the case; Kakashi being seduced by the student _he _was trying to seduce.

Genma was still chuckling to himself at the very notion, earning him a questioning glance from Shizune, as the waitress came back with a tray of food. "Okay," she announced, skillfully flipping the folding stand out to rest her tray on while still balancing their meals. "Sukiyaki for two and fire shrimp. I'll be back a little later to check on you guys."

"Thank you," Shizune called as the woman rushed off once again.

"So," Genma continued as he began dishing out shrimp and vegetables onto a spare plate. "After this, Shizune and I were gonna hit up Omajinai for a bit. Asuma and Kurenai are _supposed_ to be meeting us there… but they've been acting kinda weird lately, don't you think?"

Kakashi shrugged indifferently as he poked his chopsticks at the food on his plate. "I can't say as I've really noticed," he replied idly, his brow pinching slightly as he studied the mushroom he'd recently stabbed with the end of a chopstick. "Do you plan to stare at me all during dinner?"

Genma was momentarily confused by the question, seeing as he hadn't been looking at the other man at all. Following the half-lidded, lazy look Kakashi was directing across the table, the senbon user grinned when he noticed Sakura was watching her date with all the intent and focus of someone finally getting the gift of their dreams. So… she seriously thought she was gonna see Kakashi's face? The girl obviously didn't know the masked man very well. Kakashi was the only man in the entire world who could go out to dinner with someone, sit across from them while eating and enjoying polite conversation without that person _once_ catching a peek at his face. It was an odd talent, to be sure.

Smirking as Kakashi continued to toy with his food while Sakura watched him like a hawk, Genma quipped, "Trust me, Sakura-chan, it's not much to look at."

That wasn't a total lie either. Hatake Kakashi really _wasn't_ much to look at… depending on who was asked. Since Genma preferred individuals with more curvaceous figures, Kakashi didn't score very high on the Hot List. However, he also knew for a fact that Shizune thought the copy ninja was a very good looking man. She'd pretty much admitted it to him several months back after he'd caught her sneaking a peak at his lower assets. It didn't bother Genma if he happened to catch her staring at the other man's ass every now and then. She could look all she wanted. He knew who she would ultimately end up going home with.

Frowning, Sakura broke her trance long enough to send a quick pout in Genma's direction as she said, "Even if it's not, the fact that I _haven't_ seen it is- Hey! You took a bite!"

"Di-na," Kakashi mumbled back around a mouthful of hot sukiyaki. His eye watered a little as he immediately reached for the glass of water on the table. Half the glass of ice cold water disappeared in a few heavy gulps in an effort to alleviate the burning sting in his mouth. "Be careful of the meat," he continued, voice rasping a little as he set the glass down once again. "It'll burn the skin right off your tongue."

Huffing in annoyance, Sakura dropped her chopsticks on the table in favor of crossing her arms over her chest. "You're ridiculous," she muttered, shaking her head.

Offering a comforting smile, Shizune patted the younger girl's shoulder and said quietly, "Most men usually are, Sakura-chan. And the older they get, the more ridiculous they become."

"Then Kakashi-sensei's older than dirt!" the pink haired girl fired back, causing Genma to burst out laughing while Kakashi gave her a decidedly unfriendly glance.

"Or maybe it's because you keep poking at the subject," Kakashi replied evenly.

"So, you're saying that if I stop asking that I'll get to see?"

Kakashi shrugged noncommittally and returned to poking holes in his vegetables. "What were you saying about Omajinai, Genma?"

Taking the cue to change the subject (much to Sakura's annoyance), Genma set his beer down and nodded. "Right, about Omajinai. Anyway, Shizune and I are heading over there later for some fun. I don't know if Asuma and Kurenai are gonna show or not, but if you two aren't doing anything you should come on over."

"What's Omajinai?" Sakura asked curiously, redirecting her attention from Kakashi long enough for him to sneak another bite of food. Instantly, her eyes narrowed to thin, angry slits as she caught the tail end of his hand movements, one manicured nail tapping irritably on the table top. "And don't think for one second you're being at _all_ sneaky over there!"

"Sneakiness is expected of a ninja, remember?" the silver haired man replied cheerfully, uncaring that his response only made her glare intensify.

"Omajinai," Shizune explained, leaning forward so as to draw Sakura's wrath away from her date. "Is a gaming establishment about four blocks up from here. It's mostly for darts and pool, but there's also some betting games in the back. It's also a good venue for live music. Though, I do think you have to be eighteen to enter…"

Genma wagged a finger at his lover and said, "Not if you have a chaperoning adult over twenty-five." He looked pointedly over at Kakashi, who in turn was doing his best to disappear into the corner of the booth.

Unfortunately, the other man's squirming was put to a short end as Shizune spoke up once again. "I certainly don't mind filling the role, Sakura-chan. That is, if you and Kakashi-san are interested in going?"

Sakura turned hopeful green eyes on her date, seemingly unaware that his bowl was now scraped so clean it looked as if it hadn't been used. Genma felt his lips curve upward slowly as that hopeful look began to morph into a full out, pleading, puppy-eyed expression. When her lower lip curved out into the faintest of pouts, it was all he could do to not smack the other man in the head and tell him to just give in already. It would take a real coldhearted son of a bitch to refuse a look like that.

But a coldhearted son of a bitch was the very definition of Hatake Kakashi, so expecting the man to crumble when faced with what had to be the best puppy face ever to be pulled off by a human was-

"Sure, sounds fun," Kakashi answered with a pleasant shrug.

What in the hell was going on here? Both Genma and Shizune blinked in shock at the pale haired man as Sakura flashed a bright, ecstatic smile and returned to her dinner. Genma shook his head lightly to clear it and wondered briefly if some smart ass had worked a genjutsu over on him. First the hand holding and now he was caving to puppy eyes? Not to mention that Kakashi had _just_ gotten back from a mission that had gone longer than planned. Just the fact that he was even out and not buried in bed went against everything Genma knew of the man. It _had_ to be part of the attentive suitor ruse… but there was that look in his eye again, the one of such genuine affection that it couldn't have been faked.

Sighing under his breath, Genma shook his head once again and took a deep swig of beer. Either this was the acting job of the century... or Hatake Kakashi was completely oblivious to the fact that he was falling for his target. Or maybe it was the full moon playing tricks on him. At this point, Genma was almost prepared to believe anything.

Including that certain foods weren't aphrodisiacs.

* * *

Despite the fact that it was almost eleven at night, they were covered in sludge and sweat and had moved at a full sprint for the last six miles… the sight of Konoha's enormous gates was the most beautiful thing Tenten had seen in _so long!_ Her leg muscles were twitching in tiny, spastic movements from the strain, her lungs were burning as they gasped for an even breath, yet she still managed a wide, albeit sleepy, grin at being home once again. Granted, it was only for four days before Team Gai was on the road again… but it was going to be a glorious four days! No more camp rations, no more traveling from dawn to near-dawn…

"Lee! Be at training ground three by six tomorrow morning. Now that we're back on our mutual rival's home turf you must work _harder_ than ever if you want to be successful!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei! I look forward to it!"

… And no more listening to their team leader train his favorite student how to pickpocket porn. Tenten sighed happily and glanced over to where Neji was hunched and panting, hands on his knees with his hair curtaining his face. While the idea of being able to soak her sore feet in a tub of warm water with some of those fancy bath salts Ino'd given her for her birthday sounded like heaven, what made these next few days off even better was the fact that Neji had them off as well.

Hyuuga Neji… who'd said he liked her too.

Obviously, they hadn't had a chance to expand on their conversation, not with their overly dramatic mentor and teammate so close by. Plus… it seemed kind of impractical to be discussing what to do now that they liked each other on a mission. It was all well and good for an _Icha Icha_ chapter if there was romance blooming during a mission. But in reality? That was a big, fat 'hell no'.

Tenten's thoughts were disrupted from the pleasant fantasies of just what she and Neji could do on their time off when Maito Gai whipped a finger in their direction and declared loudly, "And you two… Good work! Not only did you manage to keep pace with Lee and myself but you also encouraged us to go faster."

Instantly, any joy she'd felt at being home was swept away in a wave of disbelief. "You mean," she panted, eyes rounding incredulously at their teacher. "That you… and Lee… both started running faster… 'cause Neji and I… were keeping up?"

Beaming at his only female student, Gai gave her thumbs up and confirmed proudly, "That's right! I push you, you push me. That's what teamwork is for!"

Tenten glanced over at Neji when she heard what sounded vaguely like, "Sadist…" come from the dark haired boy. She snickered, prompting him to peer at her from between the strands of hair swinging over his shoulders.

Clapping his hands to get their attention, Gai planted his fists on his hips and announced, "Goodbye for now, my incredibly awesome team! Try not to miss my presence too much for the next few days. However, if you find yourselves in need of my guidance… you know where to find me!" Crouching low, the eccentric man gave a hard push off the ground and disappeared over the wall in a single jump. _Without_ telling them where they could find him, should they be insane enough to do so.

A sniffle drew her attention away from their leader's dramatic exit to Lee, who was still staring after Gai with shining eyes. "Gai-sensei… is so cool," he choked out, admiration dripping from his words.

"Yeah, he's something alright," Tenten commented, grinning when she caught sight of Neji's answering smirk. In truth, Gai wasn't such a bad leader. He really cared about everyone on his team and did his best to be there when they needed him to be. But sometimes… his oddities were almost too much to handle. Combine that with Lee fueling his weirdness and it made for a really… unique working arrangement. Tenten seriously believed that if it weren't for Neji's steady presence (and shared misery on occasion) she would have gone cracked a long time ago.

Taking a deep, satisfying breath, Lee's hands curled into determined fists as he continued to stare out over the rooftops of Konoha. "I too shall say goodnight," he said, his tone a mirror of his hero's in tenacity. "In order to perform my best, it is necessary to have ample rest!"

"Sure, whatever you say," Tenten sighed, twisting her upper body around to loosen the kink that had formed just under her ribs. "G'night."

Neji didn't reply to Lee's comment, and Lee didn't stick around to wait for it. Even after being together for almost four years, those two _still_ weren't well off with each other. Oh, sure they worked together perfectly as a team… but forget anything of a social nature.

Speaking of social… She was alone. With Neji. Tenten swallowed against the tightness in her throat and offered a weak smile to her teammate/love interest. Neji's brow furrowed almost thoughtfully and what looked like a little bit of color touched his pale cheeks. Swinging her arms idly, just to do something to break up the awkward tension, Tenten drawled, "Sooo…"

"So," Neji repeated, voice a little stiff and uneasy. If she didn't know any better, she'd almost say he sounded nervous. But that was a stupid thing to think about a Hyuuga. Well... except if it was in regards to Hinata, of course.

"I guess… I'll see you around then," she added when it became apparent he wasn't going to keep the conversation going. Another bout of silence fell between them, complete with the chirping of crickets in the background. Greeeeat… Grimacing slightly, Tenten tucked her hands in her pockets and began walking toward the gate.

Maybe he hadn't meant 'like' in the same way she had after all. Maybe Neji'd only meant he-

"Is it normal to walk away from someone you claim to like in a more than platonic sense without arranging a time to meet _outside_ of the team environment?" Neji called in a tone that someone other than her would have said was cold. But she knew Hyuuga Neji very well now and knew better than anyone outside of the family clan just how to dissect his voice.

And instead of hearing the cold formality of someone talking to a lesser person, all she heard was the thread of uncertainty tinged with a touch of hope. Smiling briefly to herself, Tenten slowly turned around to face him again. "Since when has Team Gai been normal?" she joked, drawing a quick little smirk from him before he could stop it.

Neji took a casual step toward her, his opalescent eyes staring at the gate like he intended to memorize every last detail. "Do you know of the Shinbuki Gardens just south of the Hyuuga compound?"

Tenten nodded, her breath caught in her chest. Holy crap… was he seriously asking her out on a _date?_ On the one hand, she _really_ hoped he was, but on the other… she was afraid she might pass out from shock if that was what he was getting at.

"The Shinbuki Gardens are especially nice to walk in this time of year. Especially around four in the afternoon," he remarked as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

A wide, happy grin spread across her lips before she could even think to check it and a giddy feeling swept over her. Forcing herself to take steady, even breaths in order to tame her racing heart, Tenten managed to contrive a bit of nonchalance as she replied, "That so, huh? Might have to check that out, say… day after tomorrow."

Neji gave a crisp, curt nod as he tucked his hands into his pockets and began heading back down the road they'd just traveled on for his own home. "The day after tomorrow is probably the most ideal time to do so," he said as he passed her by, leaving her staring at him long after the shadows of the surrounding trees had swallowed him up.

It took her several more seconds to recover from her shock before Tenten released a long, low breath and all but skipped back to her small apartment. She… had a date… with Hyuuga Neji. She, Tenten, was going to be on a date with _the_ Hyuuga Neji in two days, at the Shinbuki Gardens. Wow…

Now all she had to do was get a crash course in botany. And she knew just the right blonde for the job.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:** Whooooa… Sorry, everyone for the REALLY long delay in posting. Finals and life stuff and… life stuff. –ahem- Anyway, thank you to the following people for inspiration/technical advice on this chapter:

red_brunja

ShipperTrish

mirarie

Kodukadvakch

If I could send you all cookies and little cartoon bubble hearts, I would. Thank you VERY much.

And thank you to ALL of the readers/reviewers for your patience and continued interest in this fic. It's really and truly appreciated.


	15. I Ain't Even Started To Be Bad Yet

**AUTHOR'S GREETINGS:** Happy Whatever Holiday You Celebrate to all! I think this chapter is on time… cold be a little late. I sort of lost track of my schedule. Anyway, quick thanks and shout out to whoeverIamloves- for reading through the beginning stages of this chapter and for the AMAZINGLY detailed advice on the fic I'm writing for a competition. Words can't express what a pleasure it's been working with you. Also, a VERY big thanks to redbrunja for the AWESOME music. This wasn't the song I'd initially had for the chapter... but it was too good not to use.

* * *

"You know you want to, Ino."

"I soooo don't, Chouji."

"Come on. I know you do. How long has it been?"

"… I don't know. A while, I guess."

"I promise I won't tell."

Ino sighed and flicked the loose hair out of her face with an irritably wave of her fingers. "Fine," she grumbled, caving in under Chouji's insistence. "But only a little one, okay?"

Grinning widely at his success in wearing her down, Chouji turned toward her… and handed her an ice cream cone. "I kinda figured you'd wanna small one."

The blonde eyed the scoop of strawberry in its waffle casing with an arched brow and pursed lips. "That's small?" she asked dryly.

Chouji shrugged and swiped his tongue along his double scoop of chocolate as it began to drip down the side of the cone. "The sign said that's the kiddie size," he defended.

She shook her head, not believing him for one minute that he'd ordered her a kid's scoop, and sucked a bit of the pale pink treat into her mouth. Mm, ice cream… and full fat at that. It'd been forever since she'd had the real deal. Oblivious to the fact that Chouji was watching her as she continued to nibble and suck her ice cream like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen, Ino drawled, "So… tell me more about Shikamaru and Temari. Are they officially dating or is that Sand slut just after what's in his pants?"

"Uh… I-I think it's neither," Chouji stammered back, sweat slipping down the side of his face as Ino swirled her tongue across her dessert. Maybe ice cream wasn't such a good idea after all. He snapped out of his daze when something cold and sticky plopped onto his hand, alerting him to the fact that his own dessert was becoming a chocolate mess.

"Neither? What's that supposed to mean?" she pressed sharply, slanting a hard glare at her teammate. Ino bit her lip to keep from laughing as Chouji hastily tried to stop his cone from dripping all over. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a miniature pack of tissues and held it out for him. "Here, take one. It's not a napkin but it'll do."

A grateful smile spread across his round cheeks as he pulled a tissue free and used it to wipe the mess off his hand. "Thanks. What I mean is that I don't think they're dating and I don't think Temari's just trying to, uh… get in his pants. I just think maybe they might, you know… go out together when they're in the same place."

Rolling her eyes, Ino made a scoffing sound and shook her head once again. "That's something else that I don't like about it; it's long distance. Seriously, why Shikamaru can't just find a nice girl from Konoha is beyond me. The girls here are prettier looking anyway and he could literally have his pick of them."

"Well, if he's happy, what's the problem?" he reasoned, licking his lips free of the sticky chocolate.

Apparently, that was the wrong answer because Ino whipped around so fast her ponytail very nearly got caught in his ice cream. "The problem is," she practically hissed in his face. "That girl's got bad news written all over her! Trust me, Chouji, I know her type. She's gonna brow beat and bully Shikamaru into a relationship and then insist that he move to Suna, just to knock her up and make little Sand babies. And that means the end of Team Ten. I don't know about you, but that's totally uncool in my book!"

Chouji swallowed hard, not at all thrilled at the idea of his closest friend leaving the village permanently. Would Shikamaru seriously move to Suna if Temari pushed hard enough? He didn't really think so… but love could make a guy do some really stupid things.

Like eat at a vegetarian restaurant that charged _way_ too much for such small portions.

He shook his head, forcing those depressing thoughts back. Shikamaru was many things, but he wasn't stupid and he certainly wasn't disloyal. There wasn't a chance in the world that he would jump ship for Suna and abandon his friends. Chouji glanced at Ino out of the corner of his eye, watching as she picked at the wrapper around her cone almost angrily. There was a hard pinch to her brow and she was frowning so hard he thought she might never smile again.

That was when it clicked with him what was really going on here. Ino wasn't mad at Shikamaru for possibly dating Temari. She was scared that he was going to leave Team Ten if he _was_ serious about the Sand kunoichi.

The sudden urge to cheer her up overwhelmed him, giving him the courage to do something he probably wouldn't have were she not upset; he reached out and took her hand. Ino's head whipped toward him again, only this time it was out of pure shock. Her blue eyes were incredibly wide and full of confusion as she regarded him. "Chouji… what are you—,"

Chouji smiled despite the fact that his stomach was an absolute wreck (seriously… did she have to have such soft hands?) and said, "Don't worry. You may not believe it, but Shikamaru _can_ put his foot down when he wants to. Not even you could bully him into leaving Team Ten."

The soft, warm smile that tentatively touched her lips made his heart pulse hard in his chest. Ino laughed softly before swirling her tongue around her melting ice cream. "You're gonna have one seriously spoiled girlfriend, you know," she joked, but she gave his hand a grateful squeeze before releasing it completely. "Dinner, dessert, walking me home... It's almost like a date!"

He forced a laugh to match hers while inside the pleasant feeling that had been growing since she'd agreed to hang out with him that evening deflated miserably. Who was he kidding, thinking Ino would ever go for him? She liked the pretty guys, the ones who were all that and a couple bags of chips. There was no way he could compete with any of them.

Still, even if she never did look at him like she did the other guys… he was happy to be her friend. He'd rather have _some_ part in her life than none at all. And who knew? Maybe by constantly being there for her, she'd finally, _finally,_ see him as more than a friend.

"Speaking of significant others… I need to find one," Ino announced as they rounded a corner onto the street where she lived.

Chouji choked on his next bite of ice cream, coughing as the cold substance slid down the wrong pipe. "W-What?" he wheezed as tiny prickles of tears stung his eyes.

Ino gave him a long, slow look, as if she were trying to decide whether he was completely stupid or just having a hard time hearing. "A boyfriend," she repeated, over enunciating her words sarcastically. "As in, someone of the opposite sex to take out and that you _could_ potentially sleep with. I know people go through dating droughts and all that but come _on_… three months? That's way too long!"

Chouji gulped hard and a dark blush crept across his cheeks. If she knew how he and Shikamaru were mostly responsible for her 'drought' she'd probably kill them both. It was totally his fault that Shikamaru was involved with the plot, too. He'd dragged his friend in because he didn't like _any_ of the guys Ino was trying to attract, and he wasn't just saying that because he liked her either. She may claim that she knew what was in a guy's head better than any girl in the village… but he had the insight of being a guy himself.

The boys Ino went for, while nice to look at, were the ones that would be mean to her. Not physically or anything, because Ino would own whoever hit her in a heartbeat. But emotionally? Yes. Even Shikamaru agreed that Ino had a good eye for heartbreakers. His friend agreed to help screen Ino's picks because he said it'd be too much of a pain to deal with her crying all the time. But Chouji was doing it because, as her friend and teammate, he knew she deserved better than what those guys were offering. Even if it wasn't him.

"Well… here we are," Ino's cheerful voice cut in, jarring him out of his inner musings sharply. "Thanks a lot, Chouji. It was fun just hanging out with you for a change."

Chouji blinked as he looked around and noticed they were indeed outside her apartment building. Oh… His evening with Ino was over. This was the part where he could make his move, tell her everything—_show_ her how he felt. He swallowed hard as he tried to force his suddenly blank brain into action. "I-Ino," he began, his voice rasping a little through the tightness of his throat.

Ino gave him an expectant look, a little smile still lingering on her lips.

"I, uh… I really… hope you find someone special." Inwardly, Chouji was screaming at his stupid mouth for saying that. This was the _perfect_ moment, one Shikamaru had provided for him, and he blew it by saying _that?_ Heat burned across his cheeks and he couldn't keep the wince from crossing his face if he'd tried. Taking a deep breath, he tried once again to express his feelings. "What I mean is, I really—"

But he never got a chance to finish. Because that was when Ino leaned in and kissed him. On the cheek. For just the quickest, briefest moment, he felt the soft press of her lips on his skin, but it was enough to make his heart skip several beats. Chouji very nearly swayed on the spot as she stepped back with a wide, appreciative grin.

"Believe me, I intend to," she declared. "Once this stupid drought is over with, that is. And once I find myself a man, we're gonna find _you_ a lucky girl to spoil." Yawning, Ino turned and began walking up the steps of her apartment. She flicked an idle wave over her shoulder to Chouji, who was still paralyzed from the shock of having Ino kiss him. "G'night, Chouji! And no midnight snacking tonight, got it? We're training tomorrow and I am _not_ gonna tolerate you burping up corn chips all day!"

Chouji continued to stand there even after she'd unlocked the front door of the apartment and gone inside. Slowly, he rubbed his fingers over the cheek she'd kissed, marveling at the fact that he could still _feel_ her lips. It was exactly what he'd been hoping would happen for the last year… but instead of being the ultimate of awesome like he'd imagined, it made his heart drop into his stomach. Sighing dismally, Chouji turned about and began making the long walk back to his home.

* * *

"Forehead, I'm home," Ino called as she opened the door of their apartment, reaching around to flick on the living room light. Immediately, the smell of burned food hit her nose, making her gag as she waved a hand in front of her face. "God, what the hell did you kill this time?"

When no response came, Ino frowned and looked around the apartment curiously. One of her romance novels was on the coffee table, next to a boring crime drama that Sakura preferred. Strange… she wasn't reading that book currently, and even if she had been she would have been reading it in her bedroom. Ino shook her head, dismissing the misplaced book, and entered the kitchen to see just how bad the damage was this time.

"You know, I don't get why you even bother," she called, uncaring that the pink haired girl might actually be asleep. It was incredibly lame to be asleep by ten on a Friday night, and Ino refused to let her roommate be lame. "You know you can't cook. What's the point of even trying when time and time again you botch it up?" She lifted the lid on the garbage can and promptly dropped it when the charred smell intensified horribly.

Ino was about to leave the kitchen to go and belly flop on a sleeping Sakura when she noticed something else that was odd; two dirty tea cups in the sink. While it wasn't unusual for Sakura to have a cup or two in the evenings to relax, it was strange that she didn't reuse the same glass. Unless one of the cups was from this morning. She couldn't recall the tea pot going off while she'd been getting ready to leave, but then again she hadn't exactly been listening for it.

Shrugging, Ino marched down the short hallway to Sakura's room, intent to wake the other girl up for a talk whether she wanted to or not. She smirked as she saw the lumpy shape of Sakura on the bed, curled up in a tight ball over the covers. Carefully, she snuck across the room, being mindful of the squeaky floorboard in the middle. She damn near blew her cover when her foot snagged on a shirt that was strewn idly onto the floor. It was weird that her neat freak roommate had a messy floor, but it wasn't an incredibly uncommon occurrence since both of them worked all day.

A wide, anticipatory grin spread across her cheeks as she waited for the slumbering girl to take a deep breath in, the soft rattling of a snore very nearly making her giggle out loud. And, just as that chest was exhaling… she pounced.

And promptly rolled off onto the floor with a startled scream when a dog yelped in surprise.

Fumbling for the light on the dresser, Ino managed to regain her feet and draw a kunai as the canine on the bed continued to whimper. Both she and the animal blinked in the sudden blinding glow of the halogen bulb, Ino with the kunai poised to attack and the white dog regarding her with the saddest, most put-upon face she had ever seen. "You're not Sakura-chan," the dog stated, its voice a mix of accusation and pouting as it eyed her with wary black eyes.

"And neither are you," Ino snapped angrily. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in Sakura's bed?"

"I'm Jubei and I was lookin' for Sakura-chan. You're really loud."

"I can get louder, believe me. What do you mean you were looking for Sakura?"

The dog, Jubei, stretched out on the bed once again, obviously deciding (despite the fact she was armed) that she wasn't a threat to him. "It'd Friday. She said she'd give me a belly rub. Do you know where Sakura-chan is? 'Cause I'd _really_ like my belly rubbed now."

Ino blinked at the dog in surprise, and not because it was talking either. It wasn't at all uncommon for animals to talk in a ninja village. What surprised her was the fact that Sakura, an open advocate of cats, seemed to be on pretty good terms with a dog. The only reason Ino could think of for that was because… "Hey, you're one of Kakashi-sensei's dogs, aren't you?" she asked.

Instantly, the white dog perked up, his ears folding back as a happy canine grin crossed his muzzle. "Yup! Kakashi's my summoner and he introduced me to Sakura-chan. She's really nice. She gave me mochi and she's really good at rubbing my ears. Is she gonna be gone a long time?"

"Seeing as I have no idea where the hell Forehead went, I can't answer that," the blonde muttered.

"… I don't know who Forehead is, but what about Sakura-chan?" Jubei pressed, quirking his head inquiringly at her.

She sighed heavily and relaxed, slipping the kunai back into its thigh sheath. He wasn't a danger, not if he was one of Kakashi's dogs, so there was no need to go pointing a sharpened weapon at him. "Forehead's what I call Sakura," she explained. "But I'm the _only_ one who's allowed to call her that, so don't you start."

"Kakashi calls her Cherry-chan. I don't get it and I don't get why you call her Forehead. Her name's Sakura-chan," the dog replied, shifting until he was stretched more fully across the absent girl's bed.

Ino smiled and laughed under her breath as she watched the dog get comfortable again. She wasn't much of an animal person… but he wasn't so bad. Just so long as he wasn't drooling or humping her leg, she didn't mind him hanging out on her roommate's bed. "Anyway," she continued blithely and with a flick of her fingers. "I don't know where Sakura is. I _thought_ she was gonna be home. Guess I was wrong."

"Well, maybe she and Kakashi left somewhere," Jubei supplied helpfully. "I smelled him all over the kitchen."

That made Ino's eyes widen considerably. Kakashi had been in their apartment? Alone? With _Sakura_? Immediately, her face twisted into one of disgust as she regarded the bed the dog was laying on dubiously. "You, uh… don't smell anything else… do you?"

Jubei rolled over onto his side and grunted, his nose sniffing the air. "Like what?" he asked, turning innocent black eyes on her.

Ino shook her head and muttered, "Forget about it." If there had been sexing in that apartment, she would have noticed the signs already. Like hell freezing over or Ton Ton suddenly sprouting wings and doing laps around Tsunade's head. There was no way Haruno Sakura was going to let her former teacher take her virginity, not over one of their mentor's stupid bets.

Sighing as she ran her fingers through the loose section of hair that fell across her face, Ino began walking toward the door again. "Well, seeing as it's after ten now and she's got training tomorrow morning, I'd say she'll probably be back in an hour or so. You can stay if you want, but I'm gonna watch TV."

In response, Jubei curled himself up once again in the middle of Sakura's bed. "I'll wait for her right here," Jubei announced. "Her bed's _way_ more comfy than Kakashi's."

The blonde smirked and shook her head as she left her roommate's bedroom and returned to the living room to wait. Boy, was Sakura ever gonna get it when she came home. To get someone as hot as Kakashi up to their apartment and _not_ take advantage of him in the physical sense? That was practically unforgivable!

* * *

Omajinai was located back toward the main entrance of the Entertainment district. It was easily the biggest establishment in that area, consisting of one entire building rather than having other businesses located on the floors above. Sakura's eyes were wide as she followed Shizune through the door, keeping one hand on the woman's waist so as not to lose her in the packed crowd. The first floor was the bar area and it was so full of noisy, drunken people she was certain there were at least five different fire codes being broken. She was very aware as they wove their way back toward the stairs of Kakashi's arm curved securely around her stomach and how close his chest was to her back. Normally, the proximity would have made her a little uneasy, but here in this crowded space… it was comforting to know her ass wasn't going to receive an anonymous groping.

Originally, the plan had been for Shizune to be her 'responsible party', but Kakashi had pointed out that if Genma was planning to get as drunk as he claimed (which the brown haired man confirmed vehemently) then it would probably be best if he didn't drink so that he could help carry the drunken man home. Shizune had argued a little by saying that it would cut into his own fun, but after Kakashi reassured her it was fine and that he didn't drink much anyway she agreed.

And that was why Sakura and Kakashi now bore matching, underage stamps on their hands. So long as he was claiming responsibility for her, he wasn't allowed near the bar. It was a little awkward to be sure, and that feeling was made worse by Genma's constant teasing. She was very quickly learning that, despite the fact he served as a mediator, Shiranui Genma had a vengeful streak in him that stretched from Konoha to Suna and back again.

She squinted in the dim, smoky room as Shizune tried to shout something back to her over music that was too loud and the usual cacophony that came with fitting too many people in a small space. Whatever the dark haired woman was trying to say she couldn't pick up, but apparently Kakashi had. She very nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his masked lips brushing along her earlobe as he shouted, "They're stopping to get drinks. Go straight back and up two flights of stairs."

Sakura nodded back and began pushing and twisting her way through the masses with Kakashi right behind her. Not once did he let go of her, ensuring that they didn't get separated in the crowd. The only other time she could recall seeing so many people in one place was during this blow out sale Ino had dragged her to. Even that couldn't really compare to the tightly packed people jostling for better spots. Never in her life had she gotten so many elbows in her breasts or had to literally push at someone's back just to get through. If this was what it was like to go out to a bar, then it was a guarantee she wouldn't ever be doing it again.

They finally broke free of the crowd, Sakura very nearly stumbling as she collided with the first step. Kakashi's arm tightened around her waist to keep her on her feet and she nodded quickly when he shouted if she was okay. She climbed the narrow stairs quickly, eager to get out of the chaos below and up to where she could already tell it was much quieter.

The second floor of Omajinai appeared to be reserved for card games and darts. The heavy bass and the shouts from below penetrated through still, but the sounds were muffled due to the thick floor. Sakura let out a relieved sigh and surreptitiously tried to straighten her hair as they walked across the room for the next flight of steps. "Is it always like that?" she asked, turning to glance over her shoulder at Kakashi.

He shrugged indifferently before reaching out to tuck back a random lock of hair behind her ear. "I don't come here often enough to know," he replied, gently ushering her out of the way when a group of giggling, drunken kunoichi stumbled by, heading for a table full of shinobi playing a round of cards. "At least it's a little quieter up here."

Sakura hummed in agreement, her eyes drifting over the occupants of this floor curiously just before she started up the steps. She was unashamed to admit that she was a bit of a people watcher, though she usually only did it when Ino was with her so they could dissect the person they were eying. And if she'd been insecure about her 'dress' before… a couple of the women up there made her look downright decent. What was the point of putting anything on when it covered less than a bathing suit would?

At the top of the second flight of steps was a room lit entirely by dim, warm lights. A bar area was off to the right with only a few people sitting at it, completely wrapped up in their own quiet conversations. Here, the noise from below was reduced to a dull rumble, one that was easily broken by the sharp staccato clatter of pool balls hitting each other. Sakura counted eight tables in the surprisingly large space, separated by a partition to offer the illusion of privacy. Each alcove had a low table and comfortable looking booth with it to provide a break from the game. Only three of the tables were currently in use, though one group looked more inclined to talk than shoot.

Kakashi's hand pressed into her lower back lightly, urging her toward one of the back corner tables away from the other groups. "They're probably going to be a little longer. Feel like getting in a quick round without them?" he asked, solicitously stepping back so that she could enter their chosen space first.

Sakura cringed a little, her fingers twisting nervously as she said, "I didn't get a chance to say this earlier but… I've never played pool before."

He turned slowly toward her, his hand still curled around one of the cue sticks, and gave her the sort of long, empty stare he'd used when he'd been her teacher. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" he drawled, his open eye glinting mischievously.

Giving him a slow, teasing smile in response, Sakura asked coyly, "Does that mean I have to call you Kakashi-sensei again?"

His chuckle was low and made a delicious shiver run down her spine. "Only if you want to… Cherry-chan." His eye crinkled happily as she swatted his shoulder and glowered back. He could be such a creep!

She took the cue stick he handed to her uncertainly, frowning at how oddly imbalanced it felt in her hands. It was an awkward thing to handle, that was for sure. She wasn't even really sure _how_ she was supposed to hold it. Sakura watched as Kakashi began digging pool balls from the pockets lining the table, rolling them gently into the center. He gave a nod to indicate the wall behind her and asked, "Mind passing the rack over?"

Sakura jumped and immediately turned to do as he asked. There was a long pole with what looked almost like brass knuckles on it… some odd little cubes… Ah! There it was. She pulled the triangular shaped item out from a small space between shelves and handed it over to him, watching curiously as he began dropping balls into place.

"There are rules for racking up the balls," Kakashi began, spinning the balls in their holder so that the numbers were facing up. "The one ball is usually at the starting corner. Eight ball is always in the middle. The two outer corners have to be opposites of each other, one striped and one solid. You can put any of the other balls wherever you want so long as the follow the stripe-solid pattern."

She nodded and stepped back as he aligned the balls with a spot on the table. Kakashi scooped up the only ball that had been left out, the solid white one, and went to the other end of the table. "When breaking, all you're really trying to do is create an opportunity to shoot. If you happen to get something in during a break, lucky you. If not, it's not a big deal. This is usually a throw away shot."

He took one of the cubes from the nearby shelf and rubbed it over the narrow end of the cue stick. Sakura caught her lower lip between her teeth as he approached the table and leaned over. She paid attention to how he held the stick, her eyes narrow and attentive. The sharp crack of the balls smacking together made her jump. Colors scattered everywhere, bouncing off of the felt lined table edges and each other. She saw two balls go in, but as to which ones they were she had no idea.

Kakashi came around to her side of the table and leaned his stick against the wall behind her. "The only balls you don't want going into the pockets are the black eight ball and the cue ball. If the eight goes in before you get the rest of your balls off the table, you lose. If the cue ball goes in, your turn is scratched and the next player gets to position the ball wherever they want on the opposite side of the scratch."

Sakura nodded slowly as she surveyed the table with growing trepidation. "This sounds a lot more complicated than I thought," she said, her fingers curling tighter around her own stick.

"Once the rules are down, it's not all that hard," he countered encouragingly. "Actually, I think pool might suit you nicely."

The confidence in his voice made her warm all over. Kakashi was never the sort of teacher to flatter a student, so any time he did it was truly meant. "Really? Why's that?" she questioned, shifting just a little closer to him.

"Pool requires planning and forethought. It's all about physics; the angle of the ball, the amount of force behind each shot, predicting where each ball will finish when you're done making your move. This sort of game plays very nicely with your particular strengths."

Sakura felt her cheeks flare at the compliment and quickly glanced away, unable to keep eye contact with him any longer. A breathless little laugh escaped her as she eyed the table once again. "I don't know about all that," she murmured demurely. "Not even an elite genius can pick up a kunai for the first time and know exactly how to throw it."

"True," Kakashi conceded as he pried one of her hands free from around the cue stick and guided her toward the table. "But that doesn't mean they won't pick it up quickly." Sakura fought the urge to stiffen when he moved behind her, his hands resting on her shoulder. "For this round, you're solids. So… which ball do you want to go for?"

She surveyed the table thoughtfully, trying her best to keep in mind what he'd said about trajectory and impact of objects. Finally, she pointed to a solid purple ball and said, "That one."

"And why that one?"

"Because if I can hit it off the side there, it'll land in the pocket. Hopefully."

She could feel his laugh vibrate through the closeness of his chest to her back, making her stomach tighten and that warm feeling surface again. "See? I told you you'd be a natural," he commented before giving her a gentle push toward the table. "Stand facing the ball you want to hit. Make sure the position is comfortable and stable."

"How do I hold the stick?" she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder as she bent slightly at the waist. She hadn't thought about it before agreeing to a night of pool, but if she wasn't careful her skirt might ride up way too high.

To her completely shock, Kakashi didn't explain to her how to hold it—he showed her. Instantly, her body tensed up as he suddenly moved in close behind her, aligning his body to fit hers perfectly. It was far more intimate a demonstration than she'd been requesting, especially when his arms caged her on either side and she could feel his breath along her neck. She shivered, shifting restlessly against him… and inadvertently pushing her rear more snugly against his hips.

Once again, Sakura's cheeks burned bright red as she hastily reclaimed that scant inch, wincing while she prayed desperately that perhaps he didn't notice. If he did, he didn't make any mention of it as he took first one of her hands and then the other and placed them on the cue stick.

"It's entirely up to you what hand to use," he explained, speaking softly into her ear. It reminded her too strongly of the lovers she'd see on the streets whispering dirty little secrets to each other. They weren't lovers and his words weren't dirty in the least… but for some reason it still made her breath catch. "But seeing as you picked this stance, you're right hand should go about here-," he squeezed the hand covering hers over the thicker end of the stick for emphasis, "and your left should be here." Once again, his hand pressed firmly over hers.

Sakura swallowed hard and nodded slightly, her heart pounding hard and fast in her chest. She was very aware of how he shifted just a little against her, his hands guiding hers in drawing back the cue stick while the other helped in balancing the tipped end. When his shoulder jerked forward, hers followed. There was the briefest of seconds where his bicep grazed the side of her breast, but that was quickly forgotten when the cue ball connected with the purple one.

The chosen ball hit exactly where she'd expected it to, bouncing off the table and rolling neatly into the corner pocket. A triumphant grin broke across her face as both she and Kakashi straightened. "It worked," she laughed, rocking onto the balls of her feet excitedly.

"Of course it did," he said, smoothing his hands down her arms. "Now, since you made your shot you get to go again. You keep going until you miss."

She nodded in understanding, her lips twisting thoughtfully as she searched the table for her next move. Sakura walked around to the other side of the table, eying the yellow ball that was directly next to the green striped. If she hit right between them, it would cause a split… but if she hit it too hard the stripe would go right in the corner pocket. Okay, so she would just have to control how much force she put behind the shot.

Positioning herself as she had before, Sakura maneuvered the cue awkwardly into place and sighted down the table. She could see Kakashi out of the corner of her eye, standing back to patiently watch… and that was when a bit of wickedness struck her.

While she wasn't as experienced as most other women, Sakura knew that a big part of attraction rested on physical contact. From a psychological stand point, touch was actually more significant to a person than any of the other senses. It could be used to comfort, to threaten, to amuse… and most definitely to display mutual attraction. She knew this was an area she was struggling to be comfortable in with regards to Kakashi. But if she expected to relieve him of _Icha Icha_, it stood to reason that instigating a closer physical proximity was mandatory.

So with that goal in mind, Sakura smiled flirtatiously at him and asked, "Aren't you going to help me with this shot, _sensei?_"

Kakashi was never one to display a lot of emotion, but apparently he could be shocked into doing just that. She very nearly giggled as his eye widened considerably at her bold request. The expression was there and gone again so quickly that if she hadn't been looking specifically for it she more than likely would have missed it. Slowly, his eye on her the entire time, he rounded the table until once again he was at her back, his body fit snugly against her own.

Sakura's breath caught as his hands slid down her arms, covering her own on the cue stick. A pleasant ripple ran down her spine at the feel of his breath along the back of her neck, the fabric covering his lips tickling at her earlobe. She heard him take a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Did you just sniff me?" she demanded, surprise cutting through the haziness his presence created.

A mischievous, completely unrepentant gleam lit his dark grey eye. "Maybe," he replied. "Your skin smells like chocolate."

Flushing, Sakura used the excuse of focusing on her shot to duck her head away. "It's my body wash," she answered distractedly as she felt him nuzzle the base of her neck ever so slightly. "I-It's, uh… It's called whipped chocolate cream."

"Since when did they start making soaps that smell like dessert?" he asked, still speaking with his mouth against her throat.

"Since… forever?" she ventured to guess, her knees threatening to give out at any moment. Damn it, what was wrong with her? If she didn't know any better, she'd almost say she _liked_ having him sniff at her. That was just plain stupid. Sniffing people was weird and gross and… _perverted._ To actually enjoy it would be worse than perverted, which she most definitely wasn't.

As if he hadn't just been scenting her skin, Kakashi adjusted her grip on the cue stick and slid right back into business mode. It was stunning to her how easily he could just switch gears like that when she was having a hard time remembering to breathe evenly. "Hold it like this. It'll give you more control as you shoot," he explained, either unaware or uncaring that she was still fighting to slow down her racing pulse. "Ready and…"

Just like before, his shoulder surged forward and took hers along with it… and once again she felt the softest brush of his upper arm along her breast. She choked back a surprised gasp as the balls clacked together loudly, the shot once again going as planned. He straightened and stepped away from her with an approving nod.

"As I thought, you have a good eye for angles," he commented.

Sakura still had her back to him, but she knew he was staring at her. She took a slow deep breath and tried to steady the hard pulsing of her heart. Even with the cool air of the room circulating around her, she could still feel the heat from his body. The plan to instigate more physical contact between them had worked. She just hadn't expected the affect on her as well.

A shudder worked its way down her spine when she felt his palm smooth over her lower back, following the slight curve of her hip. "Want to try one more time, just to make sure you've got it?" Kakashi suggested with an edge of teasing in his voice. It was obvious by his tone that concern for her shooting technique was the last thing on his mind.

If this were anyone else making the unsubtle attempt to get their hands on her, Sakura would have laid the pervert out flat on their back. Yet, for some reason the urge to do just that didn't rise like she was expecting it to. Instead, a strange sensation tightened in her stomach, one that felt a little like the anticipation that came before a battle only more… nice. Slowly, she turned to peek at him over her shoulder, her lips parted to allow for the shallow breaths that stuttered in and out of her.

Sakura gave a quick, barely noticeable nod… and Kakashi's hand on her hip tugged her more securely against him. Instantly, that fluttery feeling returned to her stomach again, making her lightheaded. As casually as she could, she placed her hands on the pool table ledge and took a deep, slow breath to encourage more oxygen into her system.

"How about we try something a little trickier," Kakashi murmured, the barest bit of a self-satisfied laugh creeping into his low tone.

Shrugging and trying to play it cool despite the way his breath on her neck sent goose bumps marching down her arms, Sakura said, "Sure. What do you have in mind?"

Without relinquishing his hold on her waist, Kakashi guided her around to the narrow end of the table and pointed down a ways to the shot he wanted her to make. "We're going to hit the fifteen on the left side. That should make the fifteen connect with the six—"

"—And that'll put the six into the side pocket," she finished, tilting her head back to smile up at him.

She saw the lift of his cheek under his mask shortly before the corner of his eye crinkled and knew he was smiling back at her. The hand on her stomach tightened briefly, his thumb rubbing small circles just alongside her belly button. It took some real effort to remember why breathing was so important. "Exactly," he replied, taking a step back so that she could get into position. "This shot's going to be a bit of a stretch… but you should be able to do it."

Yeah… a bit of a stretch was right. Sakura glared at him over her shoulder as she bent forward across the table. "You're just trying to sneak a look at my panties, you pervert," she accused.

Kakashi's eye creased happily as he chuckled, "Do you honestly think I'd sink so low as to get you to bend over a pool table just to see under your skirt?"

"Yes."

"Ah. If your skirt were maybe half an inch shorter, then your accusation would be well founded. But from the position I'm standing in, as well as that half inch of fabric, there's no way I can see your panties. Not without x-ray vision, that is."

"Who says you haven't trained the Sharingan to do just that?" she muttered while setting up for the shot.

"I actually hadn't considered using it for that purpose, but thanks for the tip."

Sakura shook her head and relaxed her grip on the cue as she laughed quietly. "The Sharingan can't do that," she giggled as she glanced back at him.

Arching a brow in challenge, Kakashi murmured, "And just how do _you_ know it can't?"

Forgetting all about the game, Sakura spun around to face him, leaning back against the table with her arms bracing her. Kakashi's hands remained on her hips as he took a step closer, forcing her to tilt her head back in order to maintain eye contact. "Because," Sakura explained while trying to ignore the way her heart leapt wildly in her chest. "The Sharingan can only copy and analyze a ninjutsu, taijutsu or genjutsu in order to replicate it perfectly. Since a jutsu for x-ray vision doesn't exist, there's no way the Sharingan can be used for peeking under skirts."

"Hmm… True enough. But it _can_ memorize the movement of fabric, which at least will tell me what kind of underwear you're wearing," he countered. His hands smoothed around her waist, his fingers pressing firmly into her flesh before stopping at the base of her spine.

Sakura squirmed a little at having his hands so close to her ass and used the excuse of settling a hand on his chest to push him back a little. Laughing nervously, she said in a voice that was a little higher than usual, "Well, um… th-that's a good point. But you still wouldn't know if everything matches."

There was a quick flare of emotion through his eye, one she didn't quite recognize. It was dark and intense and it made her feel warm all over… Was this what lust looked like? The minute that question crossed her thoughts a wave of embarrassment flooded her. God… she hadn't thought about _that_ happening! Having her former teach lusting after her was just so… _wrong._

But if it was wrong, then why did it send that pleasant, anticipatory thrill through her?

She was still trying to puzzle out these conflicting emotions when Kakashi released her hips in favor of settling his hands on the table's edge, effectively pinning her in place with his arms. The movement made her palm slide up his chest, causing her breath to catch at the feel of solid muscle shifting beneath her fingers. Holy… crap. It made sense that Kakashi was well muscled, seeing as he was a ninja, but it was still surprising that someone with his relatively narrow build was _that_ ripped!

"Knowing how particular you can be over details, Sakura," he said, speaking in a low, rich tone that made her fingers inadvertently curl into his shirt a little. "I'd venture to guess that _everything_ matches."

The way he stressed the last part made her think he was referring to something other than her underwear, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what. All she knew was that he was sorely mistaken in thinking her panties and bra matched tonight, though usually she _was_ a bit more careful in that regard. She managed to lift her gaze from where her hand was on his chest to his face… and promptly lost her train of thought when she noticed he was staring at her mouth like it was mesmerizing.

For a moment, she could have sworn he was leaning closer to her and without thinking, almost as if it were a reflexive action, she tilted her head slightly in anticipation for his kiss…

"Could that bar _be_ any more crowded? Had I known they'd put one up here, I wouldn't have bothered fighting my way to the one below."

Sakura jumped at the sound of Genma's voice and quickly pulled her hand away from Kakashi's chest. He in turn groaned under his breath and shot a rather surly glare at the brown haired man.

Genma, seemingly unaware that he'd interrupted them (_again_), set a large glass full of dark amber liquid down on the table before taking Shizune's drink from her and doing the same. "And what cheap patrons, too! I seriously just witnessed a guy who ordered ten drinks and didn't tip the bartenders," he continued bitterly. He shook his head in disbelief before his gaze fell on the table. A grin made the toothpick between his teeth dip lower as he motioned to the scattered balls. "Sneaking a round in on us, huh?"

"Actually, Kakashi was showing me how to play pool," Sakura replied after clearing her throat. She nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she motioned with her head for Kakashi to step away. He did so, though she was pleased to note it was with an obvious bit of reluctance.

"Oh-ho, a newbie, eh? Well, don't worry. We won't fleece you too badly," the senbon user joked with a wink.

"It really is rather easy, Sakura-chan," Shizune replied reassuringly as she took a sip of her wine. "It's just basic geometry, with trajectory and thrust thrown into the equation."

"Yeah, that's what Kakashi had said," Sakura answered, her fingernails digging at the wood around the table awkwardly.

Genma smiled at his lover and pulled the toothpick out of his mouth long enough to plant a kiss on her cheek. "You being smart is such a turn on," he murmured, causing Shizune to grin and blush.

"Genma, please," the dark haired woman muttered back, pushing him away from her.

"What? It's true. Even when you're going off on that nonsense that oysters aren't aphrodisiacs—,"

"That's because they aren't. I've told you four times now that there's _no scientific proof_ of it," she insisted stubbornly.

"And all four times you've said it have been massively sexy," Genma countered, chuckling as Shizune rolled her eyes and went over to collect a cue stick.

Sakura giggled, which caused Kakashi to give her a long suffering look. "Please don't encourage him," he begged. "He's like a stray cat; feed him once, he'll keep coming back for more."

"Then it's a good thing I'm a cat person," she teased, her grin widening as he groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Sakura-chan," Genma called from across the space, lifting his glass in a toast to her. "Kakashi, you have my permission to keep dating this one."

"Gee, thanks," Kakashi said sarcastically. "I didn't know my dates had to get your approval."

"After that hyena you were dating last time? Hell, yeah they do!" Genma shuddered visibly and downed half his drink in one gulp. "I don't normally make it a habit of mentioning exes in front of new women—,"

"Then why start now?" the copy ninja interjected sharply.

Ignoring him, the senbon user continued, "—But that woman was just awful."

Shizune nodded solemnly toward Sakura and added, "I hate to say it, but she really was."

"So, to see you out with someone as adorable and charming as Sakura-chan is _so_ relieving," Genma continued, much to Kakashi's embarrassment. Sakura couldn't help snickering under her breath at his discomfort. It wasn't often she got to see Kakashi squirm… but it was awfully amusing!

Groaning as he pinned a very unhappy glare on the senbon user, Kakashi demanded, "I thought we were here to play pool, not dissect my personal life."

Holding up his hands defensively, Genma drawled, "Fine, fine! Rack 'em up then. Ladies versus gentlemen?"

"Oh, so you want Shizune-san and I to find some other guys to play with then?" Sakura inquired with mock innocence. Shizune very nearly spluttered her wine as she laughed, while Genma's eyebrows rose in surprise. All she could see of Kakashi's expression was the creasing near his eye, but it was good he was smiling again. As if sensing that she was watching him, he met her gaze and winked while gathering the balls to start the game over.

"Woooow… Who would have thought a sharp tongue resided in such a pretty face?" Genma commented, his dark brown eyes glittering playfully. "This is gonna be a fun evening."

Shizune placed a restraining hand on her lover's arm, and though she was probably aiming for a stern expression it was ruined by the fact that she was still smiling. "Genma, please remember that Sakura's sixteen and my subordinate. I really don't want her impression of me tarnished too badly," she admonished.

Genma wrinkled his nose distastefully but gave a consenting sigh as he patted her hand. "Anything for you," he reluctantly replied. As a token of her thanks, Shizune kissed his cheek before walking over to join Sakura near the pool table.

"Shizune-san?" Sakura began softly as Genma went to join his teammate. "I'm going to apologize in advance if I let you down. I'll do my best though."

The older woman smiled brightly at her and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's just a game, so relax and have fun."

Smiling thankfully at the other woman for her patience and understanding, both of them turned their attention back to their dates as the sharp crack of pool balls being broken alerted them that the game was officially on. Sakura took a deep, calming breath and rotated her neck to relax herself, watching as the balls went skittering all across the table's surface.

The goals for the evening were simple; try not to look like a complete idiot while playing pool, keep her skirt down and modesty in tact and somehow manage to initiate more intimate physical contact with Kakashi _without_ getting distracted herself. Yeah… this was going to be a real snap.

* * *

Ino huffed angrily as she turned the television off and dropped the remote onto the couch with more strength than was really needed. It bounced across the cushion before falling over the side and onto the floor. The resulting thud made the dog still asleep in Sakura's bed jerk awake. She heard Jubei groan and the mattress shift as he got comfortable once again, having determined the sound wasn't threatening.

With a bitter, annoyed scowl scrunching her lips, Ino once again glanced at the clock on the corner table. Her fingers began tapping a sharp, irritated beat on the sofa arm when she saw that it was now twelve-thirty in the morning. Where the _hell_ was Sakura? It wasn't like her roommate to stay out so late when she had training or work in the morning. Even on the nights she _could_ stay out late, she was always in by midnight anyway. They weren't living at home and yet that girl _still_ felt the need to adhere to her parents' curfew.

So, where the hell had that goody-goody gone then? Ino seriously doubted that Sakura was in any sort of trouble, and not only because she was out with Kakashi. Her roommate was more than capable of taking care of herself in a pinch. It was more that Ino was pissed off that she, the resident party girl, was at home on a Friday night while her more reserved (re: boring) friend was out for a night on the town… and with an older man, no less!

Still seething bitterly over this awful twist in fate, Ino stood up and stomped into the kitchen. It still smelled like burned whatever, even after she'd nearly emptied an entire can of air freshener into the room. She yanked the tea pot off the stove and filled it with water before returning it and turning the burner on. While it heated, she dug through the cupboard over head until she found the small container of instant coffee that Sakura used for her baking projects. An evil little grin twisted her lips as she scooped two level spoonfuls into a cup. She was gonna need some serious caffeine if she expected to stay awake until Sakura got home.

* * *

"Aaaaand… Hell, yeah! He sank it!"

Shizune suppressed an irritable sigh as Genma continued to celebrate what was shaping up to be Team Testosterone's third straight win in a row. She knew it was only a game… but if there was one trait she and Tsunade had in common, it was an extreme dislike for losing. It certainly didn't do much to sooth her irritation that Genma felt the need to celebrate every shot he and his partner got in. Besides, it was a bit premature to start celebrating another victory when they still had three balls left on the table.

Not that she doubted for one minute that Kakashi would successfully pocket them all. He'd yet to miss all evening.

She glanced over when she heard Sakura's disappointed sigh and saw the younger girl was staring dismally at the table. "I'm really, _really_ sorry, Shizune-san," she moaned. "I thought I'd had it just right on that last one to keep it from scratching."

A tight smile crossed Shizune's lips as she patted her subordinate consolingly on the shoulder. It really wasn't Sakura's fault. Considering she'd never played pool before tonight, she was doing very well and had even managed to almost win the last game. "It's alright, Sakura-chan," she reassured the pink haired girl gently. "You did your best, which is all that was expected of you."

"Yeah, don't worry about a game," Genma laughed as he came over and planted a whiskey soaked kiss to Shizune's cheek. "For a newbie, you're not half bad. 'Course… this _does_ make it three times now that we've won." He winced when Shizune gave his side a good, hard pinch and jerked her head in Sakura's direction. The girl was looking more and more dejected by the minute.

"The game isn't over yet," she warned her mildly buzzed lover sternly. "There's still a chance Kakashi-san will miss." Even as she said it, she knew it was a highly unlikely scenario. The only time she ever recalled seeing Kakashi miss a shot was when a drunken Asuma had shoved an equally drunken Gai into the table just as he'd been taking his turn. In all fairness though, she supposed that one time shouldn't be counted since there was an extraneous circumstance involved.

Genma arched a brow and surveyed the pool table just as Kakashi sent another ball into one of the side pockets. "I hate to tell you this, honey, but the count is two solids to four stripes, excluding the eight ball for both sides. And Kakashi's got our last few shots lined up perfectly. Nothing short of another Gai Incident is gonna make him miss. So… Team Awesome wins again."

They both whipped around with wide, surprised eyes at the sound of wood snapping to find Sakura smiling tightly as she casually leaned the broken pieces of her cue stick against the wall. Shizune heard Genma swallow and mutter a shocked expletive under his breath at the girl's unbelievable feat of strength and couldn't help smiling as she patted his stomach soothingly. It was always so humorous to see the looks on people's faces when Sakura demonstrated an amount of physical prowess that would normally be beyond someone as petite as she was.

The pink haired girl laughed edgily, her eyes scrunching closed to form black smudges against her cheeks. "There's no way at all he's going to miss, is there?" Sakura ground out between her smiling teeth.

"Um… I think I said something to that effect, yes," Genma responded warily, shifting into a position where he could dodge an attack if it was coming.

Fortunately for him, it seemed beating him to a pulp was the last thing on the girl's mind. Nodding once with that forced smile still plastered on her face, Sakura said with mocking innocence, "Oops, our table is a _mess_! It looks like someone sloshed booze all over it. Better clean that up before it ruins the finish."

Shizune and Genma watched her stroll casually over to the table, both of them curious as to what exactly she was up to. Keeping her back to the pool table, Sakura bent over to begin cleaning up the mess she'd had the spontaneous urge to take care of.

Not even ten seconds later, a solid white ball went flying over the edge of the table and rolling under the cushioned bench against the wall.

* * *

Kakashi eyed the table thoughtfully while the other three continued to talk nearby. He could hear what they were saying, but he wasn't really paying attention. Only three balls were left, all of which were set up just right to secure another win for the guys. He felt a little bad every time he glanced over and noticed Sakura was staring glumly at the floor, but he'd never been one to pull punches. Oh, he wouldn't use any more force than was necessary to win… but he wasn't going to hold back either. In his opinion, to not give it his all was insulting to the other person.

Finding his next shot, Kakashi went to the far end of the table and sighted down the felt. An outside strike to the four ball would put it neatly into the corner pocket. It was an easy shot to make and would also open up an alley for the two. He noted Sakura moving for the bench out of the corner of his eye but didn't pay her any mind as he bent over with his stick leveled at the cue ball. He drew back, eye narrowed speculatively, and—

He was seeing stars. Bright, silvery stars.

It only took him a fraction of a second longer to realize that the reason he was seeing stars was because he had a clear view right up Sakura's skirt. Holy _shit!_

Kakashi very nearly went nose first into the pool table with shock and the movement threw his aim off completely. He managed to connect with the cue ball but with far too much force and straight on. The ball smacked into the edge of the table and went over, bouncing on the floor a couple of times before disappearing underneath the bench.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me! You fucking scratched?" Genma shouted as Kakashi very subtly checked to see if his nose was bleeding. Not that he expected much blood to still be in his head anyway. Most of it had migrated south at the sight of silver printed stars on black cotton.

Sakura disappeared completely from view for a moment, and it wasn't until she reemerged with the white ball in hand that he realized she'd gotten onto her hands and knees to dig it out. Oh, god… He pressed the heels of his palms against both eyes until spots flickered behind his eyelids as some _really_ wrong imagery tried to fix itself in his brain. Things about her on her knees and balls and…

He pulled his hands away when he heard someone clear their throat and groaned again when a smugly smiling Sakura placed the cue ball on the table. "Something wrong?" she purred, her eyes glittering wickedly in the dim light.

It was then that he came to the stunning realization that she, Haruno Sakura, had purposely given him a glance at her panties just to make him miss the shot. And for the first time in longer than he could remember… he had no words to describe just how flabbergasted he actually was. All he could do was gape at her while she continued to laugh silently at him.

To further rub it in, Sakura's grin widened as she stood up on tiptoe and pressed a quick, friendly kiss to his cheek. "It's okay, Kakashi. Maybe you'll get lucky and Shizune-san will miss."

Kakashi blinked slowly, his gaze inadvertently following that pink haired tease as she sauntered back over to the bench and sat down, crossing her ankles as primly as if she hadn't just given him an eyeful of her panties. The smugness never left her face as she purposely smoothed her hands down her skirt. Kakashi arched a brow at her antics. She thought she'd won, did she? Well… She was about to find out there was a big difference between winning the battle and winning the war.

Normally, Kakashi had a personal policy in regards to public displays of affection; absolutely not. Holding hands was permissible under certain conditions. An arm around the shoulders or waist was also allowable. With the exception of an occasional romp in the bathroom of a bar or a closet in the jounin facility, anything more than some casual touching wasn't done. To him, something like that was far too private an exchange to do in public. No kissing, no nuzzling, no labels… none of that flew in a normal relationship with him.

However…this wasn't exactly a normal _relationship_ and that meant the usual rules didn't apply.

In a way, what they were doing here was like an erotic pissing match; set the bar high and see if the other will either beat/match the mark or admit defeat. And though he'd so far been fairly successful in beating the mark she'd set, there was a _huge _difference between what they'd been doing before and what she'd just done now. She had, once again, raised the bar and he couldn't quite get over the fact that a sixteen-year-old girl kept putting him into a defensive position over and over again. He had to at least do something to equal a panty flash. He had the feeling though that if he tried anything his useless imagination was suggesting (it was still stuck on her and balls) he was going to find himself eating drywall.

"Excuse me, Kakashi-san, but you're blocking the table. Would you please step aside?"

Kakashi shook his head lightly and glanced to where Shizune was patiently waiting for him to move, the mischievous glint in her dark eyes saying she knew exactly why he'd missed his last shot. Clearing his throat lightly, he nodded and mumbled, "Sure. Sorry."

The dark haired woman laughed lightly as she scooped up the cue ball and positioned it perfectly to knock the ten in a side pocket. "Please don't apologize. Perhaps you and Genma can go grab a drink while I finish this game out."

He held up his hand to show her the underage stamp on it. "A drink would be welcomed, but most likely not forthcoming," he replied dryly.

Shizune winked at him and murmured, "Somehow, I doubt the bartenders will think you're under eighteen."

Ouch. He was getting it from all sides tonight, it seemed. Kakashi sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. This was definitely going down as one of the most bizarre nights of his life. With a shrug, he looked over to where Genma was still gaping at him in shock and asked, "Wanna go grab a round?"

Nodding numbly, Genma muttered, "Yeah, a drink sounds good. You ladies behave yourselves until we get back, okay?"

The two of them wandered off to the bar just as Sakura's laughter rang brightly from their playing area. Kakashi groaned under his breath and jammed his hands into his pockets. He could already tell Genma was gearing up to give him a once over for missing such an obvious shot. Maybe a drink wasn't such a good idea after all.

They each took a barstool and, true to Shizune's words, the bartender didn't once question the bright teal stamp on his hand as Genma ordered two whiskeys over ice. The dark amber brew was delivered and the bartender wandered to the other end of the bar and the scantily clad girls sitting there.

After a moment of silence where neither of them did anything bit sip their drinks, Genma raked his fingers through his hair and said, "So… you missed."

Kakashi nodded, twirling his tumbler idly. "Yep."

"I don't think I need to ask if it was a good view. You fucking missed."

"That's been established already."

Laughing softly, Genma shook his head and raised his glass for a toast. "You've gotta raise a glass to the girl who flashes a guy just to win a game of pool."

There was absolutely no arguing that, so Kakashi clinked his glass with Genma's and took a healthy swig. He was willing to admit when he'd been had… and he most definitely had been just a few minutes ago. Seeing her underwear was near the bottom of the list for things to expect from Haruno Sakura. Now the question was this: had it been an act of desperation or was she more unpredictable than he'd thought? There was certainly enough evidence to support either scenario, though admittedly he would have preferred the first.

His concentration on the pink haired girl's motives was broken as Genma nudged his side and muttered, "So, what's the progress on the mission anyway?"

Kakashi shrugged, scratching his hand through his hair idly. "Not much," he admitted in an equally quiet tone. He swirled the whiskey coated ice cubes in his glass slowly, watching the light reflect off of them in rich yellow hues.

Genma arched a brow and nodded slowly, the toothpick twirling between his teeth as he considered the brief response. "Still no idea what she's after then, huh? It appears your little cherry's a bit harder to pick than you thought."

"That was a really bad pun, by the way."

"Oh, right, like you're one to complain about bad puns. That's _real_ rich! And stop changing the subject."

"Commenting on the fact that your pun was particularly awful this time is _not_ changing the subject," Kakashi stated tersely before eying the man next to him from head to toe. "Do you happen to have a spare ryo on you?"

Genma's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he too gave Kakashi a once-over. "Maybe. Why?" he hedged.

"Can I borrow it for a quick second?"

"Hell, no!"

"I'll give it right back, I promise."

Snorting derisively, the brown haired man shook his head and pulled the toothpick from his mouth to point at Kakashi threateningly. Even if it wasn't the usual senbon, Shiranui Genma had the talent for making anything thin and slightly pointy into a dangerous weapon. "The last time I gave you a damn coin you pocketed it and pretended you'd dropped it on the street. I am _not_ that gullible, you thieving son of a bitch."

Kakashi sighed, his lips twisting in aggravation at the other man's paranoia. That had been a one time thing… and Genma was carrying on like he did it all the time. Giving the other man an appraising look, he said in a low, confidential tone, "I'll let you borrow the most recent edition of _Kama Kunoichi_."

Genma's eyes widened considerably at the offer. "Are you serious?" he breathed out in awe.

He nodded once, waiting to see what the other man would decide to do.

A ryo was slapped onto the bar top and Kakashi collected it with a pleased smirk. "Swing by tomorrow morning, okay? And don't even _think_ about earmarking the pages this time."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Genma retorted with an irritable flick of his fingers. "So, what'd you want the ryo for anyway?"

Without answering, Kakashi flipped the coin neatly into air and said, "Call it."

"Tails."

Kakashi caught the coin and pressed it down on the counter once again. Genma was leaning in far too close as he pulled his palm from the circular disc, just as eager to find out what the result was. When it was revealed, Kakashi nodded and muttered, "Okay," before he handed the ryo back to Genma.

Genma pocketed the money once again, a confused crease forming between his brows. "What did you just flip for?"

Chuckling to himself, Kakashi raised his glass to his lips and said, "That's for me to know." He emptied his glass in one swallow and stood, clapping a hand to Genma's shoulder. "Thanks for the drink."

He headed back over to the waiting women, ignoring Genma's outraged calls for him to get back there and settle up the tab. It would be hard to settle a bar tab when he only had about half of what the whiskey cost anyway.

* * *

Sakura had no idea what time it was when they finally left Omajinai, but she did know that it was really late (or really early, depending on how one chose to look at it) and Genma was _drunk._ As in stumbling aimlessly, mumbling snatches of songs that made no sense and laughing every time Shizune told him he was being absurd. His toothpick had disappeared long ago and his eyes were so glassed over it was a miracle he was even conscious still. At one point, after they'd all decided that they'd had enough pool for the evening, Genma had demanded loudly that they play darts… to which Kakashi then quickly suggested they get him home instead.

And that was where they were now headed; to Genma and Shizune's apartment. The drunken man was practically being dragged between his lover and Kakashi, with Sakura bringing up the rear just in case either of them started losing their grip. A soft misting of rain fell from the sky, just barely dampening her hair, but the heavy dark clouds she could see against the grayish sky threatened to turn it into a downpour any minute. Sakura sighed wistfully and made a vain wish for the bright red umbrella just inside her doorway.

"How far a walk is it?" she asked as they left the Entertainment District and headed deeper into the older section of Konoha.

"It's about five blocks from here," Shizune answered, her voice a little strained from having to keep Genma's nearly dead weight up. "And then it's up four flights of stairs."

So… a little over a mile or so of walking in the rain with a barely conscious drunk man. Sakura made a mental note never to get drunk. It was too much of a hassle on her friends. As much as she wanted to try and bow out for her own bed, she knew she couldn't do that. They would more than likely need her help getting him up the stairs, seeing as his feet had a tendency to get tangled together. She felt very sorry for his new students tomorrow. As if it wasn't bad enough that they had to meet their new team leader on a Saturday, he was going to show up hung over and more than likely cranky.

By the time they reached the building Shizune and Genma lived in, the rain was now hard enough to soak her clothing and make her shiver at its coolness. Kakashi was saying meaningless, encouraging things to Genma in order to coax the other man into attempting the four short steps that led to the door of the building. Genma was mumbling something about leaving him outside, but neither of his supports were listening to him.

Sakura spared a glimpse at the building, curious to see how it compared with her own. The architecture as well as the worn façade certainly showed the age of the building, which was pressed so closely to the ones around it that privacy without heavy blinds and curtains was impossible. Overhead, there was a maze of laundry lines stretched between the buildings across the street and the one they were now entering, devoid of all clothing. An intercom was to the left of the scarred, worn door with names printed on white strips by the buttons. It was too dark out to read off the names of the residents, not that she really needed to anyway. The only people she knew here were Shizune and Genma.

A row of metal mail boxes covered in scuffs, dings and dents was to the right as they entered the dimly lit lobby area. Sakura's eyes dropped to study the tiled floor, noting that the lotus blossom pattern was marred by chipped and missing ceramic squares. The stairs were narrow, made of wood that squeaked with each step and seemed to extend higher than she knew it actually went. As the trudged upward with the still singing drunk man, she observed that several spindles had been broken out from the stair railing, most likely from people doing exactly what they were now.

It was eerily quiet as they walked by the closed doors of the apartments, Kakashi shushing Genma whenever the man's voice carried a little louder than was polite for whatever time it was. The only things to be heard were the gentle, electric buzz of the overhead lights and the occasional murmur of a television that had been left on. A baby was crying on the floor below them, the sound carrying through the thin walls as easily as if it were in the hallway.

She wouldn't go so far as to say the building was a dump, seeing as it was about a hundred times nicer than Naruto's place, but it wasn't exactly pristine either. Sakura stepped forward to hold Genma up as Shizune fished a key from the barely conscious man's pocket.

"Got him?" Kakashi asked as he adjusted his grip to accommodate for the difference in their height.

"Yeah," Sakura replied, fueling just a bit of chakra into her arms and shoulders to brace her muscles under the added weight of Genma.

"Sakura-chan is a lot stronger than she looks, Kakashi-san," Shizune said as she hurried to unlock the door for them. She grunted as she used the handle to lift the door and slide it back along metal tracks. The resulting screech made Sakura wince quickly before she and Kakashi were moving through the door with a leaden Genma between them.

Shizune flicked on a light, illuminating an apartment that didn't match its exterior in the least. Sakura was still gaping in awe when the older woman came and relieved her of Genma's extra weight. "I can take him from here, Kakashi-san," she said as she braced her legs. "You've already done too much and I don't want to keep you and Sakura-chan any longer than is necessary."

"It's no trouble," Kakashi insisted, still keeping his hold on the lolling man. "Are we dumping him on the bed or in the bathroom?"

Genma mumbled something that sounded vaguely like 'asshole' as Shizune laughingly replied, "The bed, if you don't mind. He's going to have a rough day as it is without falling asleep curled up in the bath tub."

Kakashi chuckled and hefted more of Genma's weight against his side. "Straight back and to the left, right?"

"Yes, thank you. Sakura-chan, please make yourself at home. I won't keep Kakashi-san much longer, I promise."

"Okay," Sakura replied distractedly as she peered curiously around the place. The other two headed across the room and down a short, dark hallway, dragging Genma between them and talking softly.

Sakura wandered a little further into the place, her heels clicking a lightly on the pale yellow hardwood that covered every inch of the floor for as far as she could see. The living room was easily much larger than hers and though it was sparsely furnished every piece that was in it screamed fine quality. A large, L shaped sofa took up a good portion of the space. Another sectional piece and a chair were on the other side, effectively forming a square of seating in front of the entertainment unit. With the exception of the vermillion chair, everything in the room was a rich cream color with silver and black accents. Obviously they weren't planning to have children any time soon.

The kitchen was off to her right, a rectangular hole having been cut into the wall that separated it from the rest of the living room to let her peek in. From what she could tell of the stools lined up at the counter the wall window supported, the color scheme of deep red, cream and silver continued through that room as well.

She wandered curiously into the living room, eyes scanning over the entertainment unit that took up an entire wall. It was made entirely of glass with highly polished stainless steel beams and thicker, black lacquered shelves to support the heavier pieces inside it. There was no question it had been custom made for the space. Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed the rows upon rows of CDs located just underneath a very expensive looking sound system. Whoa… The only time she'd ever seen this much music in one place was when she went to a music store.

She had just crouched down to check out what sort of music the couple had when Kakashi emerged from further back in the apartment. "Ready to go?" he asked as he wandered over to her.

Nodding, Sakura straightened and motioned toward the enormous collection of albums with an embarrassed little smile. "I was just looking at their CDs," she explained as she followed him toward the door. "I didn't know Shizune-san liked music that much."

"Actually, I'd say that's more Genma than Shizune," Kakashi replied, pausing outside the entryway to jerk the door sharply closed. Once again, that horrible screeching sound filled the air and Sakura cringed in sympathy for any neighbors woken up by it. "He's a little obsessed, if you ask me."

"This coming from the man who carries a pornographic book with him everywhere," she countered wryly, taking the hand he held out to her without any hesitation.

Kakashi chuckled and squeezed her hand. "That's different. Besides, I don't have _Icha Icha_ on me tonight."

Feigning a horrified gasp, Sakura covered her mouth with her free hand as they walked down the stairs together. "No! The world _must_ be coming to an end!"

"So not only am I deadly dull and completely unremarkable but now I'm a sign of the apocalypse?"

Sakura laughed at his joke and released his hand in favor of giving him a one armed hug around the waist. "You should take it as a compliment," she teased back. "Bringing about the end of the world is a pretty godlike ability."

"Then what you're _really_ saying is that I'm godlike." Kakashi nodded, his eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise. "Now I know why I keep asking you out."

Her laughter over his response died the minute he opened the door that led outside and she saw that the heavens had indeed unleashed their fury on Konoha. It wasn't the heaviest downpour she'd ever seen… but she was going to be absolutely drenched by the time she got back to her place. And poor Kakashi was going to be worse than soaked once he walked her to her place before going to his. She didn't really know where he lived, but she did know it wasn't anywhere near her apartment.

Not wanting to put him through that, Sakura turned to him and pressed a hand to his chest. "Listen, why don't I just walk myself home tonight?" she offered, trying to ignore the feel of his muscles shifting beneath her palm. "I don't think the perverts will be out tonight and I'd hate for you to catch a cold just for seeing me home."

"I have a better idea." With those words and a pleasant twinkle in his eye, Kakashi pulled from behind his back… a lime green umbrella. "You'd be surprised at how relentless some perverts can be."

Laughing as he snapped the umbrella open neatly and held it over the both of them, Sakura asked, "How did you get that?"

"Well, it was a very dangerous and complicated procedure. The details would only bore you," he replied merrily, his arm slipping around her shoulders and tucking her closer to his side in order to keep them both under the umbrella.

"… You stole it from Genma and Shizune, didn't you?"

"There's a good possibility some theft was involved, yes."

"_Some_?" she repeated with an incredulous snicker. "Try the entire operation was nothing but theft!"

Shrugging, Kakashi removed his arm from around her and reached as if to close the contraption. "I'll just return this then, seeing as it's offensive to your morals."

Sakura grabbed his wrist and heaved his arm over her shoulder once again, grinning at the raised brow he directed back. "I'm not _that_ opposed to you being a clepto."

"Oh, good. I really didn't relish the idea of walking without it."

She snuggled closer to him as her skin prickled in response to the cold rain. How it was possible for him to maintain body heat in this weather was beyond her, but she was going to exploit it for all it was worth. Kakashi's arm tightened around her as they walked, his hand rubbing down her arm briskly to try and stimulate some warmth back into her chilled skin. "Picked a hell of an evening to wear this dress, huh?" she commented wryly as they sidestepped a large puddle in the middle of the street.

"You won't ever hear me complain about you wearing it," Kakashi answered. "It's a very nice dress."

Craning her neck so that she could flash a triumphant grin at him, Sakura said, "Yeah, I noticed how much you liked it back at Omajinai."

"That, by the way, gave a whole new definition to the phrase 'dirty pool'. Although… I am a bit disappointed."

… What. Sakura regarded him with a steady, unamused glare. "Why?" she drawled while trying to decide how best to make him cry. How dare he say he was disappointed in her underwear. She didn't go flashing it around to just anyone!

"Mm-hmm," he affirmed, nodding slightly. "Stars and stripes don't really match, do they?"

It took her a moment before she understood what he was saying, but when she did she slapped her freehand over her eyes and groaned as heat flared across her cheeks. Somehow during the night, the bastard had not only seen her panties but had snuck a peek down her bodice, too. "This is the _last_ time I ever wear something like this for you," she swore vehemently. "It's high necked, baggy shirts and sweatpants from now on."

"I'm fine with that. There's this one scene in _Icha Icha Paradise _where the girl is wandering around her room in sweatpants and-,"

"Stop. Just… stop. I don't want to know anymore."

"But I haven't even told you about how she–,"

"If you ever expect me to go out with you again, you won't finish that."

Kakashi didn't so much as make a peep, which both amused her and made her feel very proud at the same time. She hadn't been serious about not seeing him again if he continued with his story (because of Tsunade's bet, of course) but it was nice that he'd done as she'd asked regardless. It was a silent admission that he really did want to see her again, which also meant her plan was working. That was right up there with his awesome pool scratch as far as 'best date moments' went.

"You know," she said slowly, leaning her head against his upper chest. She could just make out the steady, even rhythm of his heart from this angle and smiled. "In a way, I'm kinda glad I killed the chicken a second time."

"Oh?" His hand had stopped rubbing her arm in favor of combing through her hair gently, his fingers brushing along the side of her neck in the process and making her shiver.

She nodded, her cheek rubbing on the thick, ribbed texture of his shirt as she adjusted her arm around his waist. "It was a lot of fun, and not just because you missed such an easy shot either."

"In my defense, I was a little… distracted," he replied dryly, tugging a lock of her hair in retaliation.

Sakura giggled, grabbing his wrist to prevent him from pulling on her hair any further. "A little? Kakashi, I had to go digging underneath those nasty benches just to get the ball back!"

"Like I said, a little distracted."

Snorting, she rolled her eyes at him and fired back, "If that's a little distracted, I'd hate to see what happens when you're completely distracted."

"If that ever happened… all hell would break loose," he supplied, his eyes creasing happily when she laughed.

She nudged his hip with her own, almost causing him to walk right through a puddle. "That godlike comment was a joke, you know. You shouldn't let it go to your head."

He gave a heavy, sad sigh, his shoulder slumping further. "There goes the sorely needed boost to _my_ confidence," he muttered.

Instead of feeling sorry for him though, Sakura laughed once again while shoving his chest playfully. "You do _not_ need a boost to your confidence," she exclaimed. "You're probably one of the most self-assured people I know."

Kakashi laughed softly under his breath at the compliment and hugged her. "There is one thing though that I regret about our evening," he said, his words ruffling through her hair.

Sakura arched away from him, her brow furrowed with worry. "What's that?" she asked, her stomach clenching a little. Crap… he hadn't been amused by her making him miss, had he? Damn it, she'd thought Kakashi was the sort of man to let things like that go! Ino had always said she needed to let the guys win…

"I was _really_ looking forward to those homemade cookies you said were in your freezer."

She blinked in surprise, totally unprepared for that response as well as the accompanying eye creasing. A shy smile touched the corners of her lips as she offered quietly, "They're still in the freezer… if you… wanna come up." The little voice in her head nearly fainted from shock that she'd actually suggested he go back up to her apartment for a second time. If he didn't think she was looking to get him in bed before, he surely had to think so now.

And then, of course, there was the fact that her roommate was probably home already. That was when she began to panic that he actually _might_ take her up on the offer.

To her relief, all Kakashi did was tuck her hair behind her ear tenderly and say, "As much as I'd like to, it's a little late for cookies."

"Oh, right," she blurted out quickly, shifting her gaze to watch their feet as they walked. "I forgot that you've just gotten home. You're probably beyond exhausted now."

"Not beyond it, but pretty much on the edge. If it weren't raining, I'd probably find a nice tree to camp out in right now," he replied.

"Why settle for a tree when there's a park bench just over there?" she teased, pointing across his body to the make-shift bed in question.

"No, I did that once. Got woken up way too early by morning joggers."

She laughed lightly and nodded in understanding. "I can see how morning joggers would be counterproductive to sleeping on a park bench."

Kakashi shuddered, the visible half of his face scrunching painfully as if recalling some awful, long forgotten memory. "It was the most horrible thing in the world," he deadpanned. "Stick thin legs, shorts that were slowly being eaten by their ass… terrible."

"Aw, you poor, poor man," Sakura crooned while rubbing her hand soothingly across his chest and stomach. "Now I'll _have_ to make you cookies just to counter the psychological trauma."

"Cookies are what my therapist said I needed," Kakashi continued solemnly as he came to a stop.

Sakura picked her head up from where it was resting on him to see why he'd stopped walking and her heart sank a little when she realized they were now outside her apartment building. Clearing her throat, Sakura let go of him and shifted awkwardly, her fingers fidgeting with her damp dress as she looked anywhere but at him. "So… I guess this is goodbye then," she mumbled.

"Goodbye has a very permanent ring to it," he answered, his free hand catching one of hers to play with her fingers.

Smiling softly, she glanced at him through loose pieces of her hair and said, "But it's too late for good night."

"I'll settle for a good morning."

Her smile widened a little as she reclaimed the distance between them. "Good morning," she whispered, rising onto her tiptoes in order to kiss him.

Kakashi stopped her by placing a finger on her lips. "Hold on a moment," he said, his voice soft and deliciously low. "I need you to do me a favor."

Knowing that this favor probably had everything to do with getting a kiss off of him, Sakura sank back onto her heels and tilted her head expectantly. When he took her hand and put the umbrella into it, she blinked in confusion. This feeling intensified when he ordered, "Put your other hand behind your back."

"Like this?" she questioned as she pressed the back of her free hand to the base of her spine, holding the umbrella awkwardly over the both of them.

"Yes, that's perfect." Then, before she could even think to ask why she was doing this, he bent lower and kissed her.

Sakura's heart stopped for a brief moment in shock, but it made up for the missed beats by pounding more quickly in her chest. A soft sound came from her, almost like a moan but not quite, as she felt his cloth covered lips moving firmly against her mouth, making her insides feel like they were melting in a pleasant glow. Slowly, the hand she had behind her back began to creep forward, inching up along his stomach to his chest in an attempt to curl behind his neck.

She gasped in surprise against his mouth when he suddenly grabbed her wrist in one hand and returned it behind her back, effectively pressing her tightly to his chest. "Uh-uh," he chided, the words murmuring across the corner of her mouth. The feel of his lips moving on hers while he spoke made her gasp again, this time because of the way her stomach clenched hard. "This time, you're keeping your hands to yourself."

"Pervert," she grumbled, even as a thrill of excitement wound its way through her over the firm pressure of his hand around her wrist. She squirmed, unsure whether she wanted to mold herself even tighter to his front or try and push away from him. Her actions stopped when his fingers flexed against her arm in silent warning.

She felt movement beneath his mask and could tell from it that he was smiling. It was an interesting sensation, to say the least, feeling his smile rather than seeing it. "You like it," he countered, causing her breath to catch as his lips brushed over hers lightly.

"Do not," she whispered automatically, shuddering as a sharp pang stabbed through her. It was hard to describe what exactly it felt like. In a way, it reminded her of the time she'd wished for nothing more than to be on the same team as Sasuke. It was a sort of intense yearning, one that made her feel lightheaded and wonderful at the same time.

Kakashi drew back and she very nearly followed him in order to maintain the kiss. Her breath was thin and shuddering as his mouth traced her jaw until he reached the area just underneath her ear. A gasp tore from her when he nuzzled her neck, his breath hot as it stroked over her chilled skin. "Then why's your heart beating so fast?" he whispered.

This time, she most definitely did groan, a sound she tried to smother against his shoulder. Very quickly, the voice that was reminding her to keep her head and not get distracted was being beaten into a fuzzy, subconscious pulp as her body demanded she get closer, focus only on his mouth as it returned to hers. She was barely aware of her uttering his name, the sound of her voice breathless and almost unrecognizable to her own ears.

His mouth was shifting against hers again, trying to get her to do something without the use of words. Hesitantly, Sakura parted her lips… and nearly had her knees buckle out from under her when she felt his mouth close over her lower lip to suck it lightly through the dark cotton of his mask.

Oh…. dear… god… It was too much. The need to touch him was overwhelming, almost as much as what he'd just done to her. She felt hot all over, her skin practically itching for more contact. Sakura felt the warmth begin to settle in her lower stomach, centering in… certain areas.

It was then that she realized what this emotion was; desire. He was, to put it bluntly, turning her on.

That was the sort of shock she needed to snap herself out of the Kakashi-induced trance she'd gone into. Sakura tore her mouth away from his with a startled gasp, breathing hard as she turned wide, amazed eyes up at him.

Almost immediately at her reaction, Kakashi released her wrist and put a little distance between them. A muddled flare of emotions flickered so quickly through his eye she couldn't even begin to decipher what was there. Neither of them said anything as the rain continued to pour around them, Sakura vainly trying to control both her breathing and her shaking body.

Finally, it was Kakashi who broke the fragile tension with a sigh as he rubbed a hand across his face wearily. "I better get going," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets as he glanced toward the rapidly lightening sky. "I'm sorry."

"D-Don't be," she stammered, forcing herself to smile and laugh. "It was…"

"A little too intense?" he offered, an understanding look on his face.

Sakura was about to agree with his assessment but stopped and instead replied, "No, that's not it. It was… I liked it. Really."

Her admission seemed to catch him off guard, judging by the way his eyebrows shot up. "I see," he drawled thoughtfully. Sakura's eyes fluttered closed as he cupped a palm to her cheek, carefully brushing back a few stray hairs as he once again kissed her. It was softer this time and very brief, and the contrast between this kiss and the one before it had her curling her hands into fists to keep from grabbing the front of his shirt.

Sakura's eyes opened as he withdrew again, giving her cheek one final caress before he turned and waved over his shoulder. "Good morning, Sakura," he called back before rounding the corner of her street and disappearing from sight.

She remained standing in the predawn light with the rain falling on her for a few minutes, her fingers rubbing her lower lip without her being conscious of the action. Sighing, Sakura turned and entered her apartment building, her mind still reeling from everything that had just happened. There was no way she was going to tell Ino about that kiss. Her roommate would have a field day over her being turned on by the man _she_ was targeting to seduce.


	16. Sick In The Head

**Dear blackwidina,**

**You lose. That doesn't excuse you from updating though. :p**

**With Much Respect and Good Humor,**

**Nimblnymph**

**P.S. Thank you to the always amazing ****whoeverIamloves-**** for being an incredible beta and a wonderful source of conversation. I hope you enjoy the rest of the chapter.**

* * *

Very carefully, Sakura inserted her key into the door of the apartment and turned it, hoping that the sound of the lock clicking over didn't wake her roommate up. It was a silly fear, especially considering the fact that Ino held the title of Konoha's Heaviest Sleeper, but it was late and she really didn't want to risk it. She slowly pushed the door open just enough for her to squeeze through, kicking her heels off carefully to one side before she began the tiptoed march toward her room. A glance at the clock glowing on the corner table told her it was a little after three in the morning, which made her groan softly. She was only going to get about four hours of sleep before she had to be up and ready for training with Tsunade. This was gonna _suck!_

She froze when the living light suddenly clicked on and her heart did an oh-shit skip at the sight of a furiously glaring Ino. The blonde stood directly between her and the safety over her bedroom, arms crossed under her breasts and foot tapping sharply as an angry furrow creased her brow. "Nice of you to show up, Forehead," the other girl bit out sharply. "You do realize what time it is, right?"

Fighting back a cringe, Sakura mumbled, "Er… Yes, I do. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh, you didn't wake me. I was up already, waiting for _your _ass to come home!"

Great… Ino was going for a guilt trip. This really was the last thing she needed right then. Sighing as she rubbed her temples to try and relieve the burning ache that a lack of sleep created, Sakura pleaded, "I'm sorry you stayed up all night waiting for me but really, Ino, I _can_ take care of myself. You don't need to—,"

"This has _nothing_ to do with you being able to take care of yourself," Ino interrupted, taking a step forward as she poked an accusing finger into Sakura's shoulder. "The problem is that you had Kakashi up here alone _and you didn't sex that man within an inch of his life!_"

It took Sakura several minutes of blinking and replaying what exactly the irate girl had said before it finally sank in. Immediately, heat radiated all the way down her neck, and she didn't need a mirror to know she was probably beet red. "I-Ino! I can't believe… Why would I… How could you… _INO!_" she screamed, shoving her way by her friend in order to retreat to the bathroom. She soooo did _not_ just hear that! Not after that awful conclusion she'd come to just moments before about being turned on by him.

"Don't you walk away from me when I'm yelling at you," Ino shouted back, shoving open the bathroom door as Sakura tried to shut it. "I can't _believe_ you went out when you had the apartment to yourself! Have I not taught you _anything_?"

"First of all, there is no way in _hell_ I'm ever gonna sleep with Kakashi," Sakura snapped back, turning the sink on sharply as she snatched a washcloth from the rack on the wall. "Second of all, I hadn't planned to have him up here at all! It sort of just happened, as did the decision to go out for dinner, I might add. Third of all… this is none of your business, so stick your pig nose elsewhere!"

Once again, she tried to shut the door only to have Ino intercept it with a hard slap of her palm on wood. "Excuse me, Miss Help-Me-Seduce-My-Teacher? It is _so_ my business, not only because I'm your friend but also because _you_ invited me into all this! So, quit withholding and gimme the details already! I've been dying to know all night!"

Sakura growled as she scrubbed her face a little more forcefully than usual, so that it was impossible to tell whether her skin was red from the rubbing or from blushing. There was no way she was telling Ino everything about the date. It would only fuel her overactive imagination to give the blonde details, like how he'd said her skin smelled like chocolate or how nice his chest had felt… or that kiss. God… that kiss! Sakura shuddered at the sensory memory of him sucking her lip between his, the feeling of the stretchy cotton fabric adding friction… She gave herself a shake and tried to ignore the tight feeling in her stomach.

"Not now, Ino. I'm tired," Sakura said firmly, hoping her roommate would take the hint and leave.

Instead, Ino leaned stubbornly in the doorway and growled, "Not until I get details, such as why you suddenly got all dreamy eyed. Did he finally take that damn mask off and kiss you properly? Was it good? Was there tongue?"

"_Pig_, I said no!"

"Come _on_, Sakura! I haven't had a good make out session in months! _Please_ let me live vicariously through you," she begged, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a pouting child.

Sakura glared at her friend's reflection in the mirror as she snarled, "I've gotta pee, damn it! Will you get the hell out?" It was a lie, but at the moment she just needed a little space from the other girl to sort herself out.

Ino folded her arms contrarily and said, "Only if you promise to fill me in _completely_ when you're done. You owe me that much for raiding my damn closet. By the way… where the hell are your pants? Did you give them to him as a souvenir?"

"_Get. Out. Pig!_"

Holding her hands up as if Sakura was about to punch her (which was starting to look like very good idea), Ino grumbled, "Okay, okay! But you better sit your ass on the couch and tell me what happened. Especially about where your pants went."

_**"**__OUT!"_

The blonde laughed and ducked the soggy washcloth Sakura chucked at her head as she closed the door and finally gave her roommate a little peace and quiet to collect herself. Sakura's shoulders slouched as soon as the door clicked shut, a heavy, exhausted sigh puffing through the hair hanging around her face. She was tired before, but having to deal with a screaming Ino was wearing through the last of her reserves. She didn't dare to hope that if she stalled long enough in the bathroom that the blonde would simply give up and go to bed. Yamanaka Ino was far too stubborn to just let it go until the morning... or, rather, later in the morning.

She still couldn't believe she'd stayed out so late. Before moving in with Ino to be closer to her life at the hospital, her parents had enforced a very strict curfew of eleven. Despite the fact she was no longer living under their roof and therefore didn't have to adhere to any of their rules (such as having to eat _all_ the peas on her plate), she'd sort of stuck with the curfew for the simple fact that she usually had to get up early. It didn't really bother her to leave before any of her other friends (save Hinata, whose father demanded she be in by nine for non-clan related affairs) because she honestly wasn't big on the parties and such. Most of the time, the parties Ino dragged her to involved someone whose parents were out of town, breaking into the liquor cabinet and then playing stupid games like Beer Pong or King's Cup. Maybe she was odd, but she just didn't see the fun in it all.

But tonight… Tonight had been fun. Sure, Genma had gotten drunk and they'd had to help him get home, but going out and actually _doing_ something had been great. Usually when she and Ino went out, it was to the movies or to dinner. They never really did anything different, and while she always had fun just hanging out and chatting sometimes it was nice to break the norm.

Sighing, she undid the damp scarf from her hair and draped it over the countertop. She grabbed one of the towels and plopped it on her head as she regarded her reflection. Dark smudges were already forming under her eyes, making them look a little sunken and her skin a little sallow. She hoped like hell she hadn't looked like that all evening. If she had, she owed Kakashi big time for being seen out in public with her.

At the thought of him, all those jumbled emotions from before came flooding back. Things were starting to get a lot more complicated than she'd initially thought they would be. She hadn't anticipated enjoying their first date… but she had. He'd been nice and surprisingly gentlemanly. Then, there was the realization that she actually enjoyed his company. Again, she hadn't expected it but had taken the discovery as a bit of good luck considering she was being blackmailed into dating him. Admitting she thought he was attractive had been a little alarming, especially considering he'd been her teacher, but he couldn't help being good looking any more than she could help appreciating it. But what had happened tonight… it was confusing.

She supposed it was inevitable that she would feel a little bit of sexual attraction for him. After all, the purpose of this was to seduce him and she wasn't so completely naïve as to think it wouldn't work both ways. It only made sense that the closer she got the Kakashi, the closer he would get to her. For every action was an equal and opposite reaction… and it was the equal part that scared her more than the opposite. It seemed greatly unfair to her that a lot of her firsts were probably going to happen because her _teacher_ was blackmailing her into dating Kakashi.

It also sucked that the first man to be genuinely interested in taking the time to understand her was also the one she was trying to steal porn from. As usual, the universe smacked of unfairness.

Sakura sighed again as she stripped out of her wet shirt, draping it over the shower bar before pulling her fuzzy pink robe off the hook on the door. All she really wanted to do was put on pajamas and go to bed… but there was no way Ino would let her get away with that. Wearing a robe was much more comfortable than wearing a wet shirt… or going out in her underwear. She tightened the knot in her belt, rolled her shoulders to loosen them and opened the bathroom door to gossip with a Pig.

And since this was probably going to take the entire three hours she had to sleep, she might as well get something productive done as well… like bake some cookies for Kakashi. Sakura padded down the hall, her eyes flicking to where Ino was curled up on the couch waiting for her, and breezed directly into the kitchen to start poking through the cupboards for baking supplies.

She could feel Ino watching her as she pulled out whatever she could use to make cookies from their limited supply but she didn't say a word. If Ino wanted to talk so badly, she could get herself up and come to the kitchen. She could hear the blonde muttering and huffing from the living room but continued to ignore her in favor throwing the ingredients into a bowl for mixing. Why she could whip up a batch of perfect cookies without a recipe and yet never fail at destroying a dinner, she would never understand.

Finally, Ino figured out that Sakura wasn't about to join her on the couch for gossip and trudged herself into the kitchen with a heavy, annoyed groan. "Forehead, what are you doing?" she complained as she flopped into one of the chairs at the table—the very chair Kakashi had been sitting in when he'd come over. Sakura tried not to blush as she turned the oven on. It would only make Ino's questions even worse.

"What's it look like, Pig? I'm making cookies," she muttered back as she began folding the pasty mixture with a rubber spatula.

"Um, kunai to the oversized forehead on that. My question was what are you doing making cookies at three in the damn morning when you _should_ be telling me how your date went?"

Sakura glared at her roommate for the oversized forehead joke while handing over the spatula for Ino to lick clean. Despite the fact that the blonde was constantly dieting, she never turned down a spatula covered in cookie dough. "I'm making cookies because I promised Kakashi I would. And I want to give them to him tomorrow, but since I'm training all day I won't have time to do it."

"You sure you wanna do that? He might be too scared to eat them if he's seen what's in the garbage can."

She was referring, of course, to the fossilized chicken in the garbage can. Sakura paused in scooping little clumps of cookie dough onto the baking sheet to give Ino a long, hard glare. "He _asked_ for the cookies, Pig. Practically begged me to make them." Okay… not entirely true, but he very strongly hinted that he wanted to try her cookies sometime in the near future. She was just choosing to take the hint, unlike _some_ people in the room.

The blonde laughed as she licked her lips and tossed the dough-free spatula into the sink with a clatter. "You should drug them."

"Ino!"

"What?" she asked innocently while pushing her hair back over her shoulders. "I'm just saying you've got the opportunity to do it. So… why not do it?"

"Because," Sakura growled, waving the spoon she was using to form the cookies at her friend like a kunai. "That's just… _No!_ I am _not_ drugging Kakashi!"

"I'm not saying give the man a lethal dose of poison, Forehead! I'm saying, maybe some of that sleeping powder you know how to make. It's completely odorless _and_ tasteless. How would he know the difference between drugged cookies and needing a nap?"

"Trust me. He'd know," she repeated firmly as she loaded up the last of the cookies onto a tray. Ino could be so dense sometimes. How could she think Kakashi wouldn't piece it together? It didn't take a genius to figure that three cookies plus an unusually long nap, minus one porn book equals getting drugged by the girl who made the cookies. Besides, Kakashi was ANBU and they didn't mess around when it came to things like poisons and drugs. Even if it _was_ undetectable, she was certain that his training had taught him to detect it anyway. So… no drugging him, not ever.

Ino groaned in disappointment as she crossed her arms on the table and rested her chin on them. "Okay, fine," she grumbled, lips pursing with annoyance. "Don't drug him. Soooo… start from the beginning and tell me everything. And be sure to include the important details, like what his face looks, how he kisses… everything."

Sakura sighed as she leaned on the stove, enjoying the warmth from the oven radiating through her robe. "Well, there's not much _to_ tell," she began slowly while trying to decide just how little she could get away with sharing. She really didn't feel like having Ino dissect everything or make fun of her for getting yet _another_ kiss with the mask on. "I bumped into him at the grocery store and invited him up for dinner since he'd just come home from his mission. Dinner was a disaster, obviously, so we decided to go out. We went to this place called Tedzukuri for dinner, which was really good, and we ran into Genma and Shizune-san there. They were out celebrating the fact that Genma gets his genin team tomorrow and—,"

"Wouldn't mourning be more appropriate?" Ino remarked dryly, causing Sakura to laugh as she wandered over to sit at the table with her friend.

"That's actually what Genma-san said," Sakura answered, flattening her hands on the table to examine her nails. "So, they joined us for dinner since the wait was really long and from there we all went to Omajinai for pool."

Ino frowned, leaning back in her chair as she gave her roommate a puzzled look. "But you don't play pool," she pointed out.

Sakura tried hard not to blush but knew it was an effort in futility as her cheeks began to warm. "Yes, well… Kakashi taught me," she mumbled, carefully keeping her attention on the cracked nail polish on her fingers.

"Oooo… So he was your _sensei_, huh?" the blonde drawled mockingly with a catlike grin as she leaned forward eagerly. "Now we're getting somewhere! How was it?"

Making an attempt at a derisive sneer (despite the fact that inside she was melting all over again just remembering it), Sakura turned away from the other girl and snapped, "You're making it sound dirtier than it actually was! All he did was show me how to hold the stick—and stop snickering at that, you perverted Pig—and stand behind me for a couple of shots."

By now, Ino was clutching her sides as she laughed silently, her head tossing with each shake and her cheeks red from the strain. "Forehead… shots from behind… Holding a stick…"

Sakura drummed her chipped nails on the table slowly, completely unamused by her friend's train of thought making a stop in the gutter. "Are you about done now?" she ground out, her teeth clenching so tightly that her jaw was beginning to ache.

Still laughing as she wiped her eyes, Ino took a deep, steadying breath and gasped out, "Yeah, just about. You do realize you probably flashed him some panty, right? I mean, don't get me wrong, the shirt definitely could pass as a dress… but it was _short_!"

"Like you're one to complain about revealing clothing, Pig," Sakura shouted, hoping that the red she could feel in her cheeks would be misinterpreted as anger and _not_ guilt. "Half the stuff in your closet looks like its accessory should be a pole!"

"Hey, don't even _think_ about mocking my clothing," the other girl shouted back, all semblance of humor fading under the onslaught to her wardrobe. "And it can't be that bad if even you, Miss Prude, tried to find something in there! Lemme guess; you didn't have what it took on top, right?"

That. Was. _It_! She'd had enough of Ino for one evening… morning… whatever. Standing so abruptly that the chair very nearly toppled over, Sakura shouted over her shoulder, "Ha, ha. Soooo original picking on my smaller breasts! At least _I_ can go without a bra in summer!'

"You can't just walk away like that!" Ino seethed, her blue eyes glittering maliciously over the last comment.

"Yes, I can and I am!" Sakura yelled back as she stomped down the hallway. If Ino was going to insist on picking on her, then she wasn't getting _any_ details, not even the ones Sakura was willing to share!

"No, you really can't!"

"The hell I can't!"

"No, _really_… you can't!"

There was an earnestness to the blonde's voice that made Sakura pause in the door way to her room, her hand gripping the frame so tightly that the wood was beginning to dimple under her fingers. "Why the hell not, Pig?"

"Because you left the cookies in the oven, Forehead, that's why!"

"_Damn it!_" So much for stomping off in an impressive display of rage! Growling and mumbling irritably to herself, Sakura trudged back into the kitchen and jerked her chair to the table again. She ignored Ino's triumphant smirk completely as she crossed her arms and glared at the far wall, making it very obvious she had every intention of ignoring the other girl. Hey, no one said she had to _talk_ to Ino while waiting for the cookies to finish!

Finally, after several seconds ticked by on the cat shaped clock on their wall, Ino sighed and ruffled her long hair roughly. "Okay… I promise no more making fun of you," she said, attempting to sooth Sakura's ruffled feathers. "Will you _please_ keep going?" She even sank so low as to put on wide, watery blue eyes and a trembling lower lip.

Rolling her eyes begrudgingly, Sakura grumbled, "Oh, alright! If you're willing to stoop so low as to pout, I suppose it's only fair to continue."

Clapping happily over the fact that her roommate had caved in (as usual), Ino said, "So, he taught you how to play pool. And then what?"

Slightly mollified by her roommate's more conversation-friendly tone, Sakura shifted in her chair and mumbled, "Genma-san got drunk so Kakashi helped Shizune-san get him back home."

When Sakura left off there and made no indication that she was going to keep going, Ino arched a brow and encouraged, "And then…?"

Fidgeting under her friend's attentive stare, Sakura muttered, "And then, what? He walked me home. That's it." Well… not including the kiss, that is. Whereas before she hadn't minded sharing details about kissing Kakashi, this time it was different. This time it had been more… complicated, and it was the sort of complication that didn't need a nosy blonde poking at it.

Ino just stared at her for several seconds before groaning loudly and letting her head thunk hard against the table. "He kissed you with that stupid mask on again, didn't he?" she whined.

Scowling, Sakura reached out and tugged a blonde lock reproachfully. "He keeps his face covered for a reason, Ino. He's not gonna take it off after only four dates!"

"God, Forehead… I almost feel sorry for you. Really. After you're done with him, we need to find you a normal guy."

Sakura huffed touchily and stood up to check on her cookies. "Compared to the guys you keep trying to set me up with, Kakashi's way out of their league," she argued, eyes scrunching as a blast of heat came from the open oven door. The cookies were a nice, even golden brown color around the edges, which meant they were done. And did they ever smell good, too!

Covering her hands in oven mitts, she continued speaking as she pulled the cookies from the oven. "He's nice and polite and he actually _paid_ for the first date, which is beyond shocking, especially for him. Also, he listens to what I say. Like, _seriously_ _listens_, not just pretend-listens like most guys do. Plus, he's not boring at all. And yes, he's a giant pervert but he's _never_ been inappropriate in regards to me. He's funny and of course smart and even when he's being a complete and total asshole he can make me smile…" She stopped, blushing as she realized Ino was gaping at her like she had the world's largest zit getting ready to burst on the tip of her nose.

"Wow, Forehead," the blonde breathed, eyebrows rising slowly in surprise. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it sounds like you're falling for your much older team leader."

"Shut up, I am not! I was just pointing out that Kakashi does have his good qualities, ones that most of the men you set me up with are lacking. At least I don't have to worry about him trying to cop a feel when I wear a short skirt."

Ino held her hands up defensively as Sakura jerked open a drawer and pulled out a wide spatula with more violence than was necessary. "I'm just saying, that's what it sounds like to me," she continued, pushing away from the table. "The last time you went on about a guy like this was…"

Sakura froze with the spatula midway into lifting a cookie from the hot sheet. "You can say it, Ino."

"Sasuke," her friend said softly, as if testing the name on her tongue. "The last time was Sasuke."

She nodded slowly as she carefully started placing cookies onto a cooling rack. "It's alright, Ino. It's not like that anymore," she said just as quietly.

"So… you don't love him now?"

"No, I do," she clarified, a bitter smile touching her lips. "But it's different now. Sasuke… well, I guess you could say I love him in the sense that I hope he's okay and safe. I love him enough that I want him to come home were he belongs, but not enough that I really see myself being with him any longer." She laughed, and even to her own ears it sounded dry. "Though, I guess I do kinda owe him thanks. If it weren't for the fact that he thought I wasn't strong enough, I don't think I ever would have—ugh!"

Ino's arms tightened around her stomach from behind as she squeezed Sakura into a sympathetic hug. "Stop being such a drama queen," she ordered against the pink hair smothering her face. "You don't owe him a freakin' thing. You _know_ you would have gotten where you are without him, so don't even think about giving him credit for your hard work. It's demeaning and, quite frankly, a little pathetic. Even for you."

Smiling, Sakura gave the arms around her a return squeeze. In the past, conversations regarding Sasuke had always made her tear up. But now that he'd been gone for a little over two years, well… It was safe to say she'd wasted enough tears on a guy who didn't want anything to do with his friends. Sasuke had chosen his path, and she'd chosen hers. And not a day went by where she regretted the fact that their paths hadn't been the same.

Letting out a weary breath, Sakura asked quietly, "Can you get me a container, Pig?"

"No problem, Forehead," Ino laughed, though the sound was a little tremulous. Sakura pretended she didn't see the blonde swipe a hand across her eyes as she pulled out one of the decorative Tupperware containers from the cabinet. "So, are you gonna slip a love note in with the cookies, too?"

Sakura grinned as she took the box and lid from her roommate and shrugged. "Sure, why not? Seeing as, you know, I'm _soooo_ into him!"

Ino laughed as she went into the living room to get some paper. After much giggling over the message, Sakura folded the note and stuck it in an envelope with Kakashi's name on it. She then taped it to the lid of the cookie box and set it aside, very pleased with how it all turned out.

"Look good to you, Pig?" she asked, smiling as her friend studied the package with false scrutiny.

"All I've gotta say is… if he didn't like you before, you won't be able to get rid of him after he tries one of your cookies," Ino replied, her smile just as bright as her roommate's.

Delighted to hear her say so, Sakura hugged the girl once again before withdrawing to stifle a yawn. A look at the clock said it was now closer to four. If she sacrificed what little sleep she could have gotten only to have him not like the cookies, she was going to be pissed. "Should I even bother going to sleep?" she asked, unsure which would be the lesser of two evils.

"Mm… you probably should. Even a little sleep is better than none when you're training with Tsunade," the blonde advised.

Nodding, Sakura yawned again and waved halfheartedly over her shoulder. "G'night, Ino! I'll do the dishes tomorrow evening, 'kay?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not doing them. That's _your_ baking disaster!"

Sakura was still smiling as she flicked on her light… and promptly screamed when the lump on her bed that she'd thought was clothing said cheerfully, "Hiya, Sakura-chan!"

Grasping at the doorway to keep from falling over as Ino ran in to see what was wrong, Sakura blinked in surprise as a white dog uncurled itself on her bed and stretched, black eyes gleaming happily to see her. "J-Jubei! W-What are you doing here?" she gasped, rubbing a hand down her face as the adrenaline surge suddenly left her.

Jubei cocked his head to the side and it almost looked as if he were frowning. "But… it's Friday. You said you'd rub my belly on Friday," he explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sakura cringed and glanced quickly at Ino to see if the blonde was giving her a funny look. Instead, her roommate was wincing guiltily as she backed toward her own room. "Sorry," she said. "He was here when I got home and I told him he could wait for you. I didn't know you were gonna be so late, and it completely slipped my mind that he was still here."

The pink haired girl groaned under her breath and rubbed her aching eyes while leaning against the door frame. She wasn't worried that Jubei might have talked to Ino about _why_ he was over for a belly rub. If he'd spilled it to her roommate already that she was being blackmailed (again), then Ino would have pounced on it in an instant. What had her worried to no end was the fact that they'd been in the kitchen, within easy hearing distance of the bedrooms, talking about drugging Kakashi.

She swallowed hard as she glanced at the dog, who had once again reclaimed one of her pillows. "Jubei… did you hear us talking?" she asked quietly while ignoring Ino's horrified gasp. Apparently, the blonde was just catching on to the potential problem.

"Yup, every word! You're right, other girl. You _can_ get really loud," the dog replied, unaware that the only reason Ino didn't rush in there and pound him was because Sakura blocked the doorway with an arm.

"So… you heard us talking about Kakashi then?"

Jubei's muzzle curled into an undeniable grin. "You're really nice, Sakura-chan, and I like you."

Both girls looked at each other in confusion before Ino asked, "Meaning, what? You're not gonna say anything to Kakashi?"

"Nope."

"Oh. Thanks," Sakura said, surprised by the dog's response. "Umm… you're not gonna get in trouble for this, are you? I mean, you _do _have a contract with Kakashi."

"Shut up, Forehead," Ino hissed, pinching her hip hard. "Jus leave it alone!"

Jubei's eyes lit up and his tail began to wag happily. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan, I'm not gonna be in trouble. I knew _you_ wouldn't drug Kakashi's treats." He shot a rather doleful glare in Ino's direction at that point. The blonde glared right back, completely unrepentant that she'd suggested it to begin with.

Relieved that Jubei was going to keep his mouth shut, Sakura shot an I-told-you-so glare at her roommate before she entered her room and shut the door. "Thanks, Jubei," she said quietly as Ino's door shut as well. "I swear I wouldn't ever drug Kakashi."

Jubei regarded her with an oddly human-like intensity. "Like I said, I knew you wouldn't. An' you don't have to rub my belly if you don't want… but can we please snuggle? Kakashi never lets me snuggle with him."

Laughing, Sakura shrugged and said, "Sure, why not? Seeing as you didn't get your rub down, I guess that's okay. Er… you don't have fleas, do you?"

"… I don't think so. But I haven't had a bath in a while."

Great… Sakura mentally added washing her bedding to the list of things to do tomorrow as she dug out some pajamas and got ready for bed. She scowled as she had to work the blankets out from underneath an unmoving Jubei before she was finally able to flop into her bed. Sighing sleepily, Sakura set her alarm clock, rolled toward the warm dog sprawled next to her and snuggled him close to her.

Twenty minutes later, Sakura discovered why Kakashi never let the white dog share his bed; Jubei snored. And it wasn't just a light snoring either. It probably rivaled Naruto's in intensity. _So much for those few hours of sleep_, she thought bitterly as she stared at the ceiling with a blissfully snoring dog on her shoulder.

* * *

Genma groaned as muffled sunlight bled through his tightly closed eyes. He was naked. And in bed. He never slept naked unless sex was involved, and he was pretty sure there'd been none of that last night. He remembered vaguely initiating it with Shizune… but he didn't remember finishing.

Shit… he'd passed out in the middle of foreplay. Not even suicide could save him from that sort of personal embarrassment.

He groaned again as he flopped over, wincing as his head began to throb madly. He wouldn't bother promising himself he'd never drink like that again. What was the point when inevitably it would happen? Somehow, through a miracle only a higher being could contrive, he managed to crack a swollen eye open to check the clock on the nightstand.

Eleven-fifteen. Why was he awake? Wait… didn't he have something to do…?

"Aw, fuck!" he moaned, rubbing a hand across his eyes as he suddenly remembered what that something was. He was supposed to have collected his genin team at nine o'clock. Lovely… his first day as a teacher and already he was pulling a Hatake.

He kicked the sheets off of himself and stumbled over to the set of drawers across from the bed, grabbing whatever clothing he got his hands on. Genma growled irritably when he noticed that, rather than selecting his boxers, he'd grabbed one of Shizune's thongs. Fucking, fucking _great!_ Uncaring that it was his favorite pair of panties for her, he tossed the bit of lace across the room and made certain to grab _his_ underwear this time before stumbling his way into the bathroom.

Genma flicked on the lights and hissed as the bright glow burned his aching eyes. His hands fumbled along the sink until he managed to find the knob for the cold water. Cranking it on, he cupped his hands under the icy stream and splashed it across his face, gasping as the frigid temperature shook off some of the blurriness from the hangover. He turned the sink off and squinted at the mirror, trying to see how bad he looked.

Oh, yeah, he looked like total shit. There was no need to try and scare the kiddies into behaving. His appearance alone would do the trick.

Uncaring that he probably still reeked of booze and looked about as civil as a rabid gorilla, Genma quickly threw on his gear, haphazardly wrapping the cloth strips around his ankles, and grabbed his flak vest from inside the bedroom closet. Then, he hurried as fast as his throbbing head would allow to the kitchen in the hopes of maybe downing some orange juice before leaving.

That was where he found a glass of water, two blue pills and a love note from Shizune telling him to have a good day and take the pills before eating anything. God, he adored that woman. Genma popped the pills into his mouth and slammed back the water in a few gulps. Whether it was the hydration to his parched throat or whatever it was Shizune had left for him, he was suddenly feeling a little more alert and less like run over shit. There were definitely perks to having a medic as a lover.

Genma grabbed the entire gallon of orange juice from the refrigerator on his way out the door, chugging it quickly as he headed toward the Academy building. Getting drunk before the first day of team training was probably the stupidest idea he ever had. What made matters even worse was that he'd drank _much_ more in the past and not woken up feeling nearly this crappy. Goddamn, was he getting old!

The first person he saw when he entered the Academy was the last one he wanted to see. Umino Iruka frowned disapprovingly, his arms crossed over his chest. He swept a critical gaze up and down Genma, which made the frown deepen even further. "You're late, Genma-sensei," he said crisply.

"Yeah… sorry," Genma mumbled, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "I sorta had a rough night."

Iruka snorted disdainfully and jerked his head further down the hall. "I can tell. Your team is waiting for you in room twelve-B."

Muttering a quick thanks, Genma left the chuunin instructor and continued toward the room where his new students were waiting. Damn it, his day was going bad enough as it was without Iruka making him feel like he was a freakin' genin again! It was almost eerie how easily the man could strip someone of higher rank down with just a look and a few words. No wonder the genin were anxious to leave the Academy.

Well, hopefully his students wouldn't be as bad as their files indicated they were, he thought as he hooked a hand in the partially open doorway. Maybe they were a group of really good kids who—

That thought died when an eraser dropped on his head, covering him in chalk dust. Three very pleased snickers greeted him as he closed his eyes and counted slowly to twenty. Oh, yeah. This was a group of little angels.

"He looks like he went face first into a baby's diaper," a boy whispered loudly, prompting yet another round of snickering.

Genma reached twenty and kept counting. Hopefully, one hundred would be high enough. If it wasn't… he was gonna kill himself some genin.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he stared dismally at the empty coffee pot someone had left turned on in the jounin break room before glancing at the sign that read 'if you take the last cup, start a new pot'. Not even he was heartless enough to disobey that rule. Shaking his head at the missing culprit, he rinsed the pot out in the sink and opened the canister on the counter… only to discover there _was_ no more coffee. He knew he should have called out dead today.

"Geeze… you look like shit."

He spared a quick look over his shoulder as Asuma entered the room with a Tupperware container under his arm. "Yo," he greeted, though it was lacking in enthusiasm

Motioning toward the coffeemaker, the dark haired man asked asked, "Someone leave that empty again?"

"Mm." It was pretty obvious what the answer was, so he didn't really see the point in asking. Rather than wistfully at the empty pot in hopes it might magically produce some coffee, Kakashi hooked a chair from the table and spun it around so he could sit in it backward. He crossed his arms over the back to create a makeshift pillow for his cheek and closed his eye. If that coffee didn't hurry up, he was going to fall asleep right then and there.

Asuma took the chair across from him, settling his feet on the bar that supported the fold out table as he used the Tupperware to prop his arm up. "I heard you got back from that escort mission last night," he continued conversationally. "Came back with prisoners, right?"

"Mm," he repeated, hoping his companion would take the hint that he really didn't want to relive the disappointment of that morning's interrogation.

After getting no sleep whatsoever, Kakashi had gone to the interrogation block of ANBU headquarters to observe Morino Ibiki do his job. It became very obvious within five minutes of Ibiki leering at them that these men weren't Sound Ninja. There was no way Orochimaru would allow any of his people to blubber as shamefully as those men had. Three of them were chuunin level nin from Grass while the others were just common criminals who'd thought to make a little extra money. One of them admitted to finding the hitae-ate they were wearing in a mass grave and was even kind enough to provide the general location of the site. ANBU operatives were sent out immediately to find and bring back as many bodies as they could for autopsies.

All in all, it had been productive for the village, but as far as finding where Orochimaru (and through him, Sasuke) was holed up… it was a total bust. They were back where they had started, which was nowhere to begin with. It made him regret foregoing sleep rather than just reading the report later.

He heard a sigh and opened his eye in time to see the other man give him a sympathizing look. "Sorry," Asuma replied, scratching his neck uncomfortably. "I'd heard the interrogation had gone well, so I assumed—,"

Kakashi waved his concern off and sat up with a reluctant groan as he pressed a palm to his eye wearily. "It's okay. The interrogation _was_ a success for Konoha. That's all that really matters, right?"

Asuma nodded and smiled, though the knowing look in his dark eyes said he didn't believe the silver haired man one bit. Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, he slid the Tupperware container across the table. "These are for you. Someone dropped them off this morning and everyone's apparently been trying to Henge no Jutsu themselves into you just to get them. I told Raika at the front desk I'd take them off her hands and make sure they got to you in mint condition."

Brows arching, Kakashi took the box and popped the lid open just enough to see what was inside. They were cookies… and they smelled absolutely divine. No wonder everyone was after them. "Any idea who sent them?" he asked curiously. He had an idea of who it might be, seeing as it had been a topic of conversation from earlier that morning, but it would be foolish to assume. After all, she'd mentioned she had training today. It would make sense that she'd want to catch as much sleep as she could get rather than waste it baking him cookies.

Shrugging, Asuma slouched back in his chair and grinned. "No idea, but it's probably Genma's mother again. I don't know what you did to Mama Shiranui, but damn am I jealous I didn't think of it first!"

Grinning, Kakashi tugged his mask down and peeled off the small, ivory colored envelope that was taped to the lid. It looked like the sort of thing people would mail wedding invitations in… or at least that was his impression. He opened the envelope and unfolded the small slip of paper inside. "Well, what can I say? I'm the guy every mother loves," he quipped as he read the note to himself.

_Take two and make a follow up appointment as soon as possible. Seeing stars is a very serious medical condition._

_Sakura_

He shook his head and tucked the note into a vest pocket with a smile. She could be so adorable when she wanted to be. Ignoring the questioning look Asuma gave him, he peeled the lid off completely and selected a cookie out of the box. This was just the sort of pick-me-up he'd needed.

"So… who're they from? Judging by your smile, I'm guessing it's not Mama Shiranui," the other man asked curiously.

"Even better; they're from Sakura," he replied, sniffing the cookie curiously. Vanilla, cinnamon, oatmeal and… dark chocolate. His mouth started to water instantly. Had he told her he loved dark chocolate, or had Genma gone and run his mouth a bit? He couldn't say… but he wasn't complaining either way. Dark chocolate was his favorite.

"Ah. Since we're on the subject of her, I'm just going on the record now in saying I think she'd be a good thing for you. And if you fuck it up, you deserve every ounce of pain the Hokage inflicts on you."

Shrugging unconcernedly for the other man's response, Kakashi said, "Okay. Want one?" He tilted the box solicitously toward the other man.

Asuma began reaching for one but paused with his hand hovering over his selection, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're using me to see if they're drugged, aren't you?" he questioned.

Kakashi flashed him a happy, see-I'm-harmless smile and cocked his head to the side. "Now, would I do that to you?"

"In a heartbeat, you sick bastard." Grinning as Kakashi chuckled, Asuma grabbed a cookie, took a big bite of it… and then stared at it with impossibly round eyes. "Holy shit… Kakashi, it's…"

The copy ninja's eye widened in alarm as he quickly dropped the box onto the table. Shit… he'd only been joking about it being drugged. He suddenly remembered Sakura mentioning that she was learning how to mix poisons and mentally kicked himself for not having considered that possibility seriously. The next thought he had was that she was a novice… and that there was no guarantee she knew what she was doing. "Asuma?" he asked, half rising from his chair in concern. "Can you talk?"

Nodding dumbly as he continued to gape at the half eaten dessert, Asuma mumbled, "That… is the best damn thing I've ever put in my mouth."

Kakashi blinked in surprise before dropping back into his seat with a relieved groan. "For a minute there I thought it really was laced with something," he laughed, burying his face into his arms.

Asuma chuckled and shrugged as he finished off the rest of the questionable treat. "You jumped pretty high outta your seat there, Kakashi. Almost thought you were worried about me."

"Allow me to borrow a response from Genma; go to hell."

"You _definitely_ had a long night if you're sinking that low. Can't keep up with a younger girl, huh?"

Kakashi smiled, lifting his head up to free a hand and select a cookie. "So, they're pretty good?"

Asuma snorted and helped himself to another. "Pretty good? Kakashi, this here is proof that the girl is mad about you."

"It's a cookie, Asuma, not a declaration that she wants to carry my child," he replied dryly.

"I'm telling you from experience," the dark haired man insisted stubbornly. "This isn't the work of a girl with an inane talent for cookies. This here—," He held the half eaten cookie up for emphasis. "— is the work of a girl who, for some unknown reason, is interested in you."

Kakashi squirmed uneasily at the other man's words and contemplated his yet untried treat. How it was possible for anyone to draw such wild conclusions over _cookies_ was beyond him. She'd said she was good at making them, and he _did_ hint that he wanted to try them at some point in time. All Sakura was doing was playing along with his request for the sake of her own goals, nothing more.

Still though… the fact that she'd obviously lost sleep to bake these cookies for him was rather touching. Once again, the idea that maybe she wasn't out to get him crossed his mind, but he quickly rejected it in light of his personal knowledge of the girl. Haruno Sakura would never in a million years ask her much older former teacher out on a date without a very good reason. And, from past experience with Team Seven, two very good reasons would be his mask and his books.

He sighed and shoved the thoughts aside for now, too tired to really care about her schemes for the present moment. Slowly, he took a bite from the cookie…

And decided that if he were to die right at that moment, he would leave without any regrets. Not even Mama Shiranui's apple cookies could compare to what was now sitting on his tongue.

He gaped in wonder at the remaining piece in his hand as he chewed slowly, savoring it for as long as possible. "How in the world can I top this?" he muttered, forgetting for a moment that he still had company.

Asuma shrugged and took a third one. "I don't know how it'd be possible to top this bit of joy," he replied. "But I do know it's considered polite to send a container back with something in it."

Kakashi nodded, only half listening to what the other man said as he sniffed the cookie once more, just to be very sure she hadn't slipped a hallucinogen in with the dark chocolate. Just how in the world was this girl still single when she baked like this? He caught sight of Asuma trying to sneak yet another cookie and slapped his hand sharply. "Uh-uh. These are _my_ special cookies. Go ask your wife to make you some."

"Hey, I shared the lunch she'd packed for me with you the other day," Asuma fired back as he rubbed his hand like the slap had actually hurt.

"You were sharing? I thought you were trying to pawn that over glorified crap off onto me."

Asuma waged a threatening finger in his direction, an action that was ruined by the amused glint in his dark eyes. "If it was really that bad, you wouldn't have eaten it!"

"Beggars can't be choosers… though in retrospect if I could choose again, I would have begged elsewhere for lunch." In reality, Kurenai wasn't a bad cook by any means. It was just too much fun watching Asuma go to bat for his spouse.

Brow furrowing in annoyance as he caught onto the fact that he was being teased, Asuma stood up and mumbled, "I've got a meeting with the Hokage in thirty minutes. Put that mask back on, will you? You'll scare the kids away."

Kakashi chuckled as the dark haired man shook his head and left the room. The one good thing about Sarutobi Asuma was that he was too easy-going to hold a grudge. He was a decent guy and about the closest thing to a friend that Kakashi would admit to having.

Sighing, he popped the snap on the vest pocket holding his summoning scroll, Kakashi slipped a kunai from behind his back, nicked his thumb and swiped a bright red streak down the side of the paper. Yes, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and not surface until next week… but there was still the matter of Haruno Sakura's mission to contend with. After all, she was up two kisses to his one. It was time to not only even the score but make it impossible for her to catch up.

A few seconds later and a poof of smoke swirled along the floor, parting to reveal a rather unhappy looking Pakkun. "You rang?" the pug drawled, twisting his head back to give his chin a good scratch.

"Were you in the middle of something?" Kakashi asked as he pulled out a slip of paper and a pen.

"Yeah, napping. What's the job?"

"It's easy."

"If it's so easy, why don't _you_ do it?"

Kakashi paused in writing to give the pug a hard, unamused glance. "You know, the Inuzuka Clan has a wonderful outdoor kennel set up. I was thinking that maybe—,"

"Okay, okay," Pakkun said quickly, an irritated growl to his voice. "Who'm I takin' a message to?"

He finished writing and bent to scoop the pug into his lap. "Haruno Sakura. She and the Hokage are probably on the training grounds somewhere." He rolled the scrap of paper neatly and tucked it in the strip of fabric just inside Pakkun's vest. Kakashi gave the dog a friendly scratch behind the ears to let him know it was appreciated and released him back onto the floor.

Pakkun shook himself out and asked, "That crazy pig's not gonna be there, is it?"

"Probably not since they're training."

"Because if I see even a hint of a curly tail, I'm outta there," the dog insisted stubbornly, tossing a reproachful look over his shoulder.

Kakashi tried hard not to smile as he said, "Well, at least you know now that pigs don't appreciate cold noses in the ass."

Pakkun growled and looked for a minute like he wanted to give Kakashi a hard nip for that comment. "_You_ said to introduce myself!" he accused, his tail curling even tighter as he rounded on his summoner angrily. "That's how dogs say 'yo'!"

"And apparently that's not how pigs say it. Can you please get going now?"

Still grumbling things about chewing holes in shuriken holsters, Pakkun disappeared again to go deliver the message.

Kakashi waited until the last of the smoke cleared the room before making his exit as well, nodding a quick greeting to a grumpy looking Anko as she all but barreled her way over to the coffee pot. "What the… Hatake, you fucking dick! There's no more coffee!"

Shit… he'd forgotten about that. His fingers flew through a series of seals just as he heard the angry snarl and the sound of a cord being ripped from the wall. The smoke left in his wake as he made an emergency exit was disrupted violently when Anko chucked the entire coffeemaker at him.

* * *

Sakura gasped, clenching her jaw hard as she went skidding and tumbling across the ground. She came to a stop and groaned at the intense ache that spread throughout her entire body. Even breathing was a thing of absolute pain. Something wet was slipping down the side of her cheek and she knew without touching it that it was probably blood.

"_Focus_, Sakura!" Tsunade shouted from clear across the training field. "What is the matter with you today?"

Hissing in pain as she forced her abused body to get up, Sakura glowered at her mentor and muttered, "One of these days, shishou…"

"Get your ass up, girl! And for the love of god _focus!_"

She silently took back everything she'd ever said about Kakashi being a hard assed sadist. Compared to the way Tsunade was tossing her across the training field like a rag doll, he was a freakin' pussy cat. Gritting her teeth, she limped her way back over to Tsunade, who was studying her nails as casually as if she hadn't just sent her apprentice airborne with the back of her hand.

Tsunade glanced up as Sakura immediately fell into a defensive crouch, her eyes looking the younger girl up and down critically. "You're off your game today, Sakura. Why?"

"I didn't get any sleep last night, Shishou," she replied, maintaining her stance firmly. Past experience taught her that Tsunade didn't necessarily stop a fight for chitchat.

Snorting, the older woman rolled her eyes contemptuously. "Inexcusable. Do you honestly think your opponent will give a damn if you got eight hours or eight minutes?"

If there was one thing Sakura didn't like more than her teacher's unbendable attitude, it was when she was right. "No, shishou," she groaned, her fists dropping slightly.

Tsunade continued to study her closely for several seconds more before she sighed, her shoulder relaxing as a little smile touched her lips. "But overall… you didn't do too badly today. Your shoulder's not dropping as much in the left cross-cut, I notice. Have you been practicing in the mirror?"

"Yes, shishou. Everyday, two hundred times just like you said," she replied, some of her irritation dissipating at her teacher's praise. While Tsunade definitely beat out Kakashi in the sadism department, she made up for it in the positive reinforcement.

The Hokage nodded, satisfied that she was keeping up on her training. "And those chakra exercises I gave you? Have you been working with those as well?"

Sakura nodded quickly as she began channeling chakra into the bruises and small cuts covering her body. The exercises were similar to the ones used for physical therapy, only it worked with chakra rather than muscles. Basically, the exercise consisted of her sending rapid little pulses of chakra through her system throughout the day. She had to sustain the tiny bursts for a few seconds and then release it. If she were to describe it in a physical sense, the closest she could come would be to say it was like carrying a rubber ball in her pocket and giving it a few squeezes to build up her arm muscles. It was designed to not only help her draw on her chakra more quickly but to also increase her stamina.

Tsunade nodded once again before reaching out and swiping her thumb across Sakura's cheek to remove a smudge of dirt. "You've come a long way, Sakura. You're not that sobbing, pathetic mess of a girl you used to be."

"Thanks, shishou," Sakura grumbled, glaring at her mentor as she stripped her gloves from her hands.

"Don't you dare take an attitude with me when I'm complimenting you, brat!" the older woman snapped. "I've met your parents and I _know_ they didn't raise you to be an ungrateful—yes, Pakkun, what is it?"

"Sorry to interrupt," the pug said as he trotted out from behind a boulder. "Thought it'd be best to wait until the rocks stopped flying. I've got a message from Kakashi."

Both women froze, Sakura's breath catching nervously. She'd heard that morning from Shizune that prisoners wearing Sound badges were being interrogated. What if this was information about…?

Tsunade bent to retrieve the message from the pug, but Pakkun sidestepped her hand and looked directly at Sakura. "It's for her, Hokage-sama, not you."

Eyes wide, the Hokage stood and motioned sharply for Sakura to get over there. Swallowing hard, half fearful that it was bad news, Sakura knelt in front of Pakkun. "Um… w-where is it?" she mumbled, trying to control her fingers from shaking. Maybe it wasn't bad news at all. Kakashi surely would have come in person rather than send Pakkun with a note.

Pakkun jerked his head back and said, "It's inside my vest. You look sick. Are you gonna vomit?"

"Why, want to eat it, dog?" Tsunade snapped back, earning her a doleful glare from the pug. The Hokage hadn't quite forgiven Pakkun for harassing her pet pig, apparently.

Sakura took a deep breath and released it slowly as she flipped the edge of the dog's vest back and retrieved the tiny scrap of paper. She unrolled it, worry making her stomach knot almost painfully. Her eyes skimmed over the scrawled characters once… twice… and then she looked at Pakkun and said, "I can't read this!'

The pug snorted as he took a seat. "Don't look at me. I'm just a dog," he replied.

The note was snatched from Sakura's hand by Tsunade, who shook her head and mumbled something about 'scribbles like a three-year-old' as she read the message. "He wants to know what time you get done today," she translated, her eyes narrowing in a very unfriendly way. Shaking her head once more, Tsunade wandered over to where her coat was hanging on a tree and rifled through the pockets. She came back with a pen and held it out to Sakura. "Well, answer the man. You'll be done by four."

Sakura took the pen, her eyes wide as she glanced from the waiting dog to her teacher and back again. "Um… Tsunade-shishou, I'm not scheduled to leave until five," she pointed out reluctantly.

"I know that," the older woman snapped crisply. "You're going to work through your lunch break so you can leave early. I have to get to a meeting, so be sure to report directly to Shizune when you're done handling this. She's going to review poison extraction and antidote derivatives with you. I'm hoping by the end of next week I can put you to work in the poisons unit under her supervision."

"Th-Thank you, Hokage-sama," she stammered, floored that her teacher had enough faith in her skills to allow that.

Tsunade made a dismissive noise, but there was a softness to her amber eyes that said she was well aware of how touched her student was. "Just don't disappoint me, Sakura. And _pay attention_! You'll be working with truly lethal stuff and you can't afford to be off your game for it."

"Yes, shishou! I promise I'll be careful."

Giving a satisfied nod, the Hokage donned her coat and left the training grounds swiftly. Sakura waited until she was out of sight before she sank to the grass and murmured in awe, "Wow… That's so cool!" She couldn't believe Tsunade was gonna let her work directly under Shizune in the poisons unit!

"Yeah, it's great," Pakkun interrupted grumpily as he flopped down near her knee. "Are ya gonna respond or not?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at the impatient pug and flipped the scrap of paper over to write—neatly—her reply. She rolled the note up and tucked it back in the little carry loop on Pakkun's vest. "Hey, Pakkun?" she called as the pug started walking off.

"Hm?" He turned to look at her over his shoulder with a what-now look on his face.

"Since I didn't get a chance to rub your belly last night, you can come over tonight. If you want." Yeah, she was unhappy about being blackmailed by a dog… but a deal was a deal, and she had every intention of keeping her end up.

The little dog blinked slowly, like her offer had caught him off guard. Then, she could have almost sworn she saw his wrinkled muzzle shift into a smile as he said, "Sounds like a deal to me. You're a good kid, Sakura-chan."

She smiled at the compliment as Pakkun trotted off the training grounds, vanishing into the thickness of the surrounding trees. Sighing, Sakura stood up, brushed the back of her skirt off and limped her way to the administration building to tackle the rest of her day.

* * *

_I get done at the hospital around four. Meet me outside the admin building._

That was what her note had said… which was why he was now meeting her at four-thirty outside the administration building. Sakura's eyes were narrowed and angry as she regarded him coolly from where she was perched on top of a large cement flower box. "You're late," she accused, her eyes flickering to the drink tray and paper bag he was sporting.

Kakashi held the tray out to her and said, "I stopped off to get you coffee."

She eyed his offering indecisively, the need for caffeine warring with the urge to stay angry at him. Lips twisting irritably, Sakura rolled her eyes and selected a cup. "I suppose that was a worthy cause," she replied grudgingly as she took a sip of coffee. Her eyes closed and she hummed in satisfaction as a small smile managed to work its way onto her lips. "Okay… You're officially forgiven."

Chuckling as he dropped down to sit next to her, Kakashi handed her the sack as well. "Pakkun mentioned you didn't get a lunch break today."

Eyes glittering happily, Sakura opened the bag and peered inside curiously. "Anpan!" she exclaimed, grinning as she pulled out one of the buns and immediately bit into it. She groaned blissfully, like it was the best damn thing she'd ever had. Kakashi arched a brow at her antics but didn't say a word as she savored her snack. "Oh, this is _so good_! You're amazing, Kakashi!"

If he had a ryo for every time he heard that… Smirking at the double entendre to her declaration, Kakashi shrugged and took a sip of his own coffee. "That's not what you were saying last night," he pointed out teasingly.

"Minds change all the time. Right now I think you're amazing. Just accept it and be happy."

He laughed softly as he slid his arm around her waist, tugging her closer to his side. Sakura paused in sipping her coffee to smile at him, a touch of shyness still lingering there. He wondered briefly if she would keep smiling like that for whoever she dated in the future. The thought left him feeling strangely… well, strangely. He wasn't quite sure what sort of emotion the idea evoked, but it wasn't a happy one.

"Was Tsunade more abusive than usual today?" he asked, silently noting the faint bruising on her arms.

Sakura nodded and took another sip of coffee. "She said she wasn't hitting any harder than normal, but I know for a fact she was. In a way, I guess that's a good thing 'cause it means she thinks I can handle it but in another way… I really wish she hadn't. I hurt all over!"

Kakashi chuckled, rubbing her arm carefully. "It can't be worse than what I put you through."

"Oh, that's the truth! You were cruel to us just because you could be. Tsunade's cruel because she cares."

"Ouch. How do you know I didn't care?"

She gave him a long, you-can't-be-serious glower before poking his stomach playfully. "I never said you didn't," she answered. "All I said was that you took advantage of your position as our leader to make our lives hell. If you _didn't_ care, you wouldn't have given us a second chance at the bells."

It was amazing how well she actually knew him. A soft smile curved his lips as he regarded the pink haired girl tucked against his side. She was oblivious to his regard, the anpan having once again secured her total attention. He hoped whoever she ended up with would appreciate just how very lucky he was to have her. If he couldn't… the bastard was going to find out by means of a chidori through his thick skull.

Sighing, Kakashi ignored the surge of bitterness that swept through him at the idea of another man sitting with her like this. He was man enough to admit that dating Sakura had certain… pleasant aspects. She was intelligent, clever and she certainly wasn't afraid to give him a piece of her mind. He liked the fact that she said what she meant, rather than relying on him to suddenly discover he had telepathy. But it would be foolish to think this could ever be any more than just a game. She had an agenda and was doing everything she could to see it through. He couldn't afford to lose focus of that.

Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts when she stood up, crumpling the empty bag in her hands and aiming across the walkway for the garbage can. She flicked her wrist and grinned when the paper ball made it in. "So, why did you come?" she asked as she turned back to him again.

"Pardon?" he asked back, his very evil imagination translating the innocent question into something decidedly X-rated. Oh, _Icha Icha_… how it had corrupted him.

Sakura arched a brow and planted her hands on her hips. "You _did_ ask me what time I got off work. I'm assuming it's not just because you wanted to take a coffee break."

"Oh, right. Actually… I thought I might walk you home. If that's okay with you?"

Her pretty green eyes widened and a slight flush colored her cheeks as she gaped at him in surprise. "You… want to walk me home from work?" she asked softly.

Pushing away from the flower box, Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and walked over to her. "Why not?" he asked with a shrug. "I would have asked if you wanted to grab a bite, but unfortunately I'm a little broke." Not by any fault of his own, however. There was some sort of back up in the accounting department, so he hadn't been able to collect his mission pay… which was a real travesty since he doubted he had any food in his place at all. He'd been forced to call in a favor to a local in order to get the anpan. He would have tried to wheedle a few extra buns out of the man… but that would have been pushing it a bit.

The blush darkened on her face as she fidgeted with her skirt absently. "Thank you," she said, speaking more to his chest than to him. "That's really sweet."

Kakashi smiled and gave her hair a good tussle to snap her out of her suddenly shy mood. "It's nothing," he argued, ignoring her annoyed glare as she began fixing her hair. "I'm sure you've had plenty of guys fight for the opportunity."

"Not really. Come to think of it… I'm pretty sure you're the first."

What in the hell was wrong with the younger crowd today? He couldn't believe that this girl had _never_ been walked home from work before. How utterly unbelievable. Kids these days… Kakashi took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he held his hand out to her. This was one first he had absolutely no qualms about taking from her.

Sakura's hand was cool as it slipped across his palm, her fingers automatically interlacing with his. "Guess what?" she asked as she tugged on his hand to get him to move.

"I refuse," Kakashi replied, grinning when she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm gonna start working in the poisons unit next week," Sakura finished, flashing him a smile that made her green eyes glitter excitedly.

His eyebrows rose as he regarded the beaming girl by his side. "Really? That's impressive."

"Well… it's not official yet. I need to work on perfecting my blood-toxin separation a bit more, plus I've still got to learn how to perform deep tissue extraction. But Shizune-san said that if I keep going the way I am I _might_ be able to run the unit whenever she's out. That would be so cool wouldn't it?"

"Very cool," he agreed. It was impossible not to smile at such enthusiasm. Sakura was carrying on about medical procedures like most women did about a shoe sale. She really was such an odd girl… but in a very endearing way. "So, do you plan to specialize in poisons like Shizune?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I mean, I want to learn everything I can about it, but it'd be boring just to do nothing but poison extractions all day, don't you think? I'd be stuck in the hospital all the time, which isn't _bad_… but I like going on missions and we need more medics in the field. Most of the casualty cases we get are because not enough was done within the first few minutes of injury. So, if we can put at least one skilled medic on each team that'll help cut down on our mortality rate."

He nodded thoughtfully and said, "That makes sense. I'm surprised the Sandaime never implemented that."

"Oh, he was trying to but the Elders vetoed the motion because at that time Konoha had to maintain its military status," Sakura gushed excitedly. It was obvious from the way her face lit up that politics and policies was something she enjoyed studying, which didn't really surprise him. She was, after all, the Hokage's apprentice. "But now we're double screwed since we're lacking in man power _and _medics. That's why Tsunade's trying to cross train as many people as possible, so that more people at least have some kind of basic medical training."

"You really like what you do, don't you?"

Immediately, her cheeks flared up as she slanted a guilty look in his direction. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, pushing a piece of hair back behind her ear. "I didn't mean to bore you to tears."

Kakashi gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled down at her. "Do I look like I'm crying?" he joked.

She rolled her eyes, nudging his side good-naturedly. "No, you don't but that doesn't mean you're not bored."

"I'm not bored."

"You're an awful liar."

"I'm not lying," he replied, an edge of incredulous laughter creeping out. "You're very passionate about your job."

A small, proud smile touched the corners of her lips as she leveled a very serious look at him. "Yes, I am. I really like what I'm doing."

"Good. It's pointless to get up every morning and do something you don't like."

"Well, what about you? Do you like what you do?" she pressed.

Kakashi shrugged, rubbing his thumb in gentle circles along the side of her hand. "What's _not_ to like about it? Paid travel expenses, good health coverage, permission to play with sharp, pointy objects all day. Not to mention dishing out psychological trauma on the younger generation. It's a nice deal."

Sakura laughed, leaning into his arm briefly before clasping his hand in both of hers. "You really are a twisted, sadistic bastard."

"You say the sweetest things," he replied sarcastically.

There was a beat of silence where Sakura glanced at him from the corner of her eye and chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. It reminded him very sharply of doing that very same thing earlier that morning. "You know," she began slowly, a bit of a flirtatious tone creeping into her voice. "I don't think I want you to kiss me anymore."

Well, _that_ was certainly an odd change in topic! Kakashi blinked in surprise and asked, "Why not?" She'd certainly seemed to enjoy their last kiss.

She reached up and for a moment he thought she meant to try and pull his mask down. Instead of doing that, however, she tapped her finger against his covered lips and said, "I'm so damn sick of getting cotton stuck to my lips. So… no more kisses, thank you."

He shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Okay."

That obviously hadn't been the answer she'd been expecting because her head whipped around so fast it was a miracle she didn't through her entire back out. "What?" she snapped.

"I said okay. If that's what you want, then that's what you want. I certainly don't have any objections with it."

"Why you lousy… are you saying you _don't _want to kiss me?'

"Actually, _you_ said you don't want to kiss _me_."

"I meant I don't want to kiss you with that stupid mask anymore, you idiot!" Sakura shouted, uncaring that people were staring at them as they stood outside her apartment building. "Did you kiss your other women with a mask?"

"My _other_ women?" he repeated, laughing under his breath. It only served to spike her temper higher, which was perfectly fine by him so long as she didn't start throwing punches. She had no idea how lovely she looked when she was livid.

Sakura jammed a finger hard into his shoulder, rocking him back slightly as her eyes blazed a bright, angry green. "You know what I mean! Did _they_ have to go through this sort of crap too, or is it just me?"

"Sakura—,"

"Don't you _dare_ take that lecture tone with me! It's totally unfair that I—Hey! What the hell are you—mmph!" Any protesting she might have offered at him tugging her hitae-ate down over her eyes was completely lost as he kissed her.

With his mask down just enough to free his lips.

Kakashi drew back and quickly fixed the material in place again as she fumbled to pull the protector out of her eyes. The look on her face… it was beyond priceless. That had to be the reddest shade to date that he'd ever seen on her cheeks while the look in her eyes was a combination of I-can't-believe-he-just-did-that and something much darker and certainly more adult. It was the first time he could recall making that look enter a woman's eyes with just a simple, albeit a little sloppy, peck on the mouth.

Grinning triumphantly as she continued to gape at him numbly, Kakashi said, "See you later, Sakura."

He'd just turned his back on her when she suddenly called his name: "Kakashi!"

Slowly, he turned back around… and very promptly his lips parted in surprise when she clumsily tugged her hitae-ate back down over her eyes. Her cheeks were still flushed, but he knew not all of the color was from before. Even from this distance, he could see the fine tremor running over her, the rapid rise and fall of her chest. It didn't take a genius to figure out what all that meant; she wanted him.

Kakashi faced her fully, his brow furrowed as he considered her actions. The rational side of his brain was telling him this could be a trick, that he should make some clever excuse not to take her up on the offer and just go home. The less rational side (a.k.a. the one that liked to think things it shouldn't) was telling him to fuck it all and go to her. He scanned the buildings around them surreptitiously, checking to see if there were any hidden cameras or people poised to catch him with his guard down. Nothing besides a random passerby and an alley cat.

The less rational side bitch slapped its more thoughtful counterpart soundly into the ground.

* * *

Sakura was starting to feel ridiculous, standing outside her apartment with her hitae-ate tied over her eyes like a blindfold. The time seemed to pass like hours, when in reality she knew it was only a minute or so. It was still enough time for doubts over her impulsive action to creep in. Maybe she'd pushed it too far. Maybe he'd just walked off and left her. Maybe he was thinking she was being immature and—

Everything stopped when she felt the warm press of his bare lips on hers again, this time much softer and with such tenderness that it made her skin prickle. She felt dizzy and swayed into him, her hands bracing on his flak vest to keep her from just collapsing on the spot. Kakashi's hands were on her waist, tugging her into him fully. Those strong, lean hands pressed upward along her spine, causing her to gasp against his mouth.

And then he was cupping her face gently, a direct counterpoint to the sudden firmness of his mouth as it moved over hers.

If anyone had asked her name right then, she doubted she could have told them. She was shaking hard and unable to control it as her hands hesitantly smoothed up his chest, curling around his neck to drag him closer. Her brain was completely shut off, simply letting her body do whatever it wanted. That aching feeling was back in her stomach again—the one she'd just recently discovered was lust—and steadily sinking lower.

She sighed and that sound quickly turned into a moan when his tongue touched her mouth lightly. If it weren't for the death grip she had on the back of his vest, she definitely would have fallen over. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips again, and that was when she realized what he was trying to get her to do. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth… and was once more driven breathless by him when his tongue slipped in to caress hers.

As if sensing the way her knees were about to give out, Kakashi's hands caressed down her neck and shoulders before coming to rest on her waist, his fingers pressing firmly against her. Each stroke of his tongue in her mouth made the ache in her stomach flare hotter, tighter, until it seemed to pulse in time with her rapidly beating heart. This was nothing like how Ino described kissing could be. It was starting to spread outward now, working its way into her chest until she felt like it was about to consume her completely.

"Tilt your head a little," he murmured against her mouth, nipping at her lower lip. Unlike the last time he'd done that, there was no cotton between his teeth and her lip. The vague thought that Naruto's theory about bucked teeth was incredibly off the mark somehow managed to thread its way through her fuzzy mind.

"Like this?" she whispered, complying with his request.

"That's perfect."

The minute his tongue slipped between her lips again, she agreed completely with him. The kiss was much deeper, more heated. His hands were massaging her waist, her lower back, molding her more fully to his front. She gasped into his mouth as the friction of her shirt against her breasts sent an exquisitely sharp pang through her. Without any thought beyond experiencing that thrill again, she rubbed herself against him.

That was when he decided to withdraw completely, his grip on her hips almost bruising as he put just a little space between them. Sakura gasped again, this time in shock, as she was left panting and longing for him to get back to what he was doing. She could hear his own heavy breathing, feel the tension in his shoulders where her hands were curled tightly into his vest. Slowly, he released her hips, smoothing his hands up her arms and over her hands before tugging at the fabric underneath. It dawned on her that he was putting his mask back on, which meant the kiss was over.

The disappointment that stabbed through her was damn near painful.

She was still frozen in place clinging to his vest as he pulled her hitae-ate back into place in her hair. His visible eye was such a dark grey that it very nearly looked black in the early evening dimness. Sakura swallowed hard at the intensity in his gaze, which was currently fixated on her tingling lips. Very carefully, he cupped her cheek, his thumb running along her lower lip almost as if he were trying to rub the kiss away.

"You should probably go inside now," he said quietly, his voice low and little rough sounding.

Sakura blinked dazedly, distracted by the way his thumb continued to stroke across her lips. "What?" she mumbled, trying to process what he'd just said.

A flicker of amusement crept over what she could see of his face as he covered her hands in his and plied her hands from his vest. "You. Upstairs," he repeated firmly, bending to place a very chaste kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded faintly, her throat tight as her heart continued to race. "Yeah. Okay."

Kakashi moved away from her completely and the rush of cool air across the front of her body helped to reactivate her synapses. She remained where she stood as he turned and walked away with his hands in his pockets, watching as he disappeared around the corner. Then, functioning as if on autopilot, Sakura made her way up the stairs and into her apartment building. She acknowledged the guard's greeting with the barest of waves as she took the stairs slowly up to her apartment.

She didn't remember unlocking her door or kicking her boots off haphazardly in the middle of the living room. The trip to the kitchen for a glass of water was a complete blur, as was drinking it. Sakura left the empty glass on the counter rather than put it in the sink like she normally would and practically fell onto the couch, her lips still parted and her glazed over eyes staring blankly at the wall across from her.

This was how Ino found her when she finished her shift at the hospital later. The blonde took one look at the utterly dazed expression on her roommate's face and instantly pieced together what had happened. "Oh, my god… he kissed you without the mask."

Sakura nodded once, her brain still too slow to fully process that fact.

An eager light made Ino's blue eyes glow as she hastily took a seat next to the pink-haired girl. "And?" she pressed.

The only thing Sakura could think to say was, "Wow."


	17. Already Won Me Over

Thanks to whoeverIamloves- for her beta services, as usual. And thanks also to redbrunja for some early reader feedback. Enjoy!

* * *

"Oh, my _god_, Sakura… He took the mask off!" Ino gushed happily as she clasped her blankly staring friend's hand excitedly. "So… was their tongue? A little or a lot? And is he as hot as rumor says he is? Did he grope you? Are you even _listening_ to me?"

Sakura blinked slowly, a small pinch forming between her brows. "What?" she asked softly. That far off look was just beginning to creep out of her eyes as she turned to look at her friend.

Ino groaned in exasperation and flopped back onto the couch. "Sakura, it was only a kiss… wasn't it?" Her blue eyes widened in disbelief as she pressed a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my… did he sex you up? Are you freakin' _kidding _me?"

"Wha— No! Do you have to be so gross, Pig?" Sakura snapped, shooting a scathing glare at the blonde.

"Then what is it?" the other girl insisted, her voice increasing in volume. "You can't seriously mean that he kisses _that_ well!"

Sakura turned away from her friend, but not before Ino caught the raging blush staining her cheeks. For a moment, she simply gaped at her friend before she burst out laughing, rolling back onto the couch while clutching her sides. "Forehead… you're killing me," she howled, wincing as Sakura jabbed an elbow into her thigh hard enough to hurt. "I can't believe you're sitting here spacing out over a kiss!"

"It was a really good kiss," Sakura defended hotly, pushing up from the couch and leaving the blonde to gasp for breath. "So what if I enjoyed it?"

"_Enjoyed _it? Sakura, you look like he stripped naked, threw himself across your bed and demanded you give him the stallion treatment."

"Ew! The stallion treatment? Where the hell did you hear something like _that_?" the pink haired girl railed as she stomped down the hall toward her bedroom. "Wait, I know. Probably one of those trashy romance novels you keep burying your nose in!'

"Haruno Sakura, you get back here _right now_ and give me _proper_ details! I let you get away with it this morning, but don't you dare skimp out on me now! It's been three _months_ since I had a good make out session!"

"Not my problem, Pig," Sakura hollered from her bedroom as she began undressing. Her fingers were shaking as she worked the zipper of her shirt free and her cheeks were burning hot. She could still feel Kakashi's mouth on hers, his tongue stroking inside her mouth. And the way his hands had touched her… She paused with her thumbs hooked in the waistband of her shorts when she caught sight of her reflection in the little vanity mirror.

Her hair was messy and her eyes looked darker than usual. The flush to her cheeks matched the color of her lips, which were a little puffy now that she got a good look at them. Hesitantly, she brushed her fingers across her mouth, following the faint curves lightly. It reminded her immediately of how Kakashi had touched her, his thumb smoothing over her lower lip almost exactly as her finger was doing now. She quickly hugged her arms around her bare stomach and tried to suppress pleasant shiver moving down her spine.

The sound of Ino's footsteps outside her door snapped her out of her daze. She quickly went back to peeling her shorts down, careful not to look the other girl in the face as she swept into the room. "You know," the blonde continued, making herself at home on Sakura's bed and uncaring that her roommate was in her underwear and glaring at her. "You are a horrible friend. I'm suffering through a romantic drought and you're not doing a damn thing to make it easier. Will you at _least_ tell me if he's hot?"

"I don't know," Sakura mumbled as she rifled through her top drawer and pulled out a baggy shirt for bed. She tugged the shirt over her head before slipping her arms inside to remove the cotton and mesh sports bra with some privacy. "I didn't see."

"_What?_" Ino snapped, pausing in her pillage for anything of interest in the top drawer of Sakura's nightstand. There was already a small collection of items on the bed by her elbow, ranging from hair clips to samples of perfume.

Head dropping forward as she heaved a heavy, reluctant sigh, Sakura repeated more clearly, "I didn't see his face. He… well…"

"Wait… You had this man's tongue down your throat and you _didn't see his face_?" the blonde shouted as she sat up fully, uncaring that her little treasure pile was sent spilling onto the floor. "How the hell could you miss something like that, Forehead?"

Blushing as she yanked her hitae-ate from her head (which made her blush even harder as she recalled just what had been done with it not too long ago), Sakura grabbed the hairbrush from her dresser and began pulling it harshly through her tangled hair. She saw Ino's wince through the mirror at the rough treatment, but she didn't stop until there wasn't a single snare left and a satisfying collection of pink strands were intertwined in the bristles. "Not that it's really any of your business, but the reason I didn't see is because my eyes were covered," she replied curtly.

At that, Ino arched a brow and shot her reflection an incredulous look. "And why is that? Does Kakashi-sensei carry a blindfold in his back pocket?"

God… she could _not_ stop blushing tonight! Very aware that her friend was laughing at the shade of her face, Sakura made a vague motion toward her hitae-ate on the vanity top.

Ino's brow furrowed for a moment in confusion, but when it finally dawned on her what Sakura was getting at, her jaw dropped and a light pink color tinted her cheeks for a change. "Y-You mean he… with that… Oh, my… That is _so sexy!_"

Sakura gaped at her friend as the blonde fanned her face with both hands. "Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief, having steeled herself for some sort of snide remark.

"Wow. No wonder you were out of it," the other girl continued with an excited gleam in her eyes. "I mean, I had a feeling he was a kink but… wow!"

Nodding slowly as she sank onto the bed next to her roommate, Sakura repeated in a low voice, "Yeah, wow." She rubbed her hands down her arms as the sensory memory made her skin prickle.

Sighing almost dreamily, Ino reclined back on Sakura's pillows, hugging one of the smaller ones to her chest. "Sakura… you have _got_ to see his face. It would be a crime against nature if he kisses that nicely and looks like he went face first into a brick wall."

The pink haired girl looked up from studying her bare toes and frowned at her roommate sharply. "Trust me, I'd bet my income for the entire year he's not ugly," she replied dryly. She may not have seen his face but she'd certainly felt enough of it to say with certainty that Hatake Kakashi was _not_ deformed in anyway. Now, whether he was handsome or just average… that was the real mystery.

Ino rolled her eyes and gave Sakura a withering glare. "Well, I'm not gonna believe it until someone confirms it for real. If he's half as hot as he kisses…" The blonde trailed off as another blush flooded across her cheeks. She cleared her throat and added, "Anyway, you need to kiss him without anything between you and his face. No mask, no blindfold. Nothing."

Sakura wrinkled her nose as she leaned across the other girl to start tossing the decorative pillows off of the bed. "I don't really care if I _do_ see his face," she said, meaning every word of it. Whereas in the past she would have done just about anything to rip that strip of black away, now it didn't seem like that big a deal. He had his reasons for it and if he wanted her to see he'd show her on his own terms. She was already trying to remove his books from him. It seemed a bit too cruel to try and get beneath the mask as well.

"What?" Ino yelped, moving as Sakura tugged the covers in a less-than-subtle hint that she wanted to lay down. "Why not?"

"Because…," Because if he really _was_ as hot as his kiss, then she was screwed. She could barely keep her head together as it was while kissing him blindfolded. "Because it's not my objective. I'm after _Icha Icha_, not his mask. I've gotta stay focused."

For some reason, this answer seemed to amuse Ino to no end. "Ooooh," she drawled, a very catty smirk curling her lips. "Is _that_ what the problem is? You're having trouble staying focused on your mission around him?"

"Yes, that's what— I mean, no! That's not what I was saying at all!" Sakura stammered, giving her covers another futile tug in hopes that Ino would clear out.

Ino didn't budge an inch, her grin widening at the very irritated scowl from her roommate. "Really? Because that's what it sounded like to me, Forehead. Admit it; you've got a crush on sensei!"

"I do not!" she shouted back, furiously jerking the covers out from under the blonde. "So I think he's a very good kisser? Big deal! And yes, he has several really good qualities and is fun to hang out with. But that doesn't mean I like him like… _that_! Now, move!"

"Alright, alright," Ino grumbled as she scooted off the bed. "Jeez… you're a real bitch when you're tired."

"And what's your excuse, Pig? You're like that every day."

"Hey, now," the blonde girl argued, planting her hands firmly on her hips as Sakura crawled under the covers and pulled them up so that only her face was sticking out. "Don't get cranky with me because you've got a thing for your teacher."

"Good _night_, Pig," Sakura growled, flicking the little lamp on her nightstand off to signal that was the end of the conversation.

Ino stood for a few seconds longer in the darkened room before she huffed and stomped out, muttering about lame people going to bed at six in the evening. Sakura scowled after her as she snuggled further into her bed. Yeah… she wanted to see Ino work all day after being up since seven in the morning the day _before_! She considered it a miracle she'd managed to stay awake at all that afternoon.

Despite the fact that exhaustion had seeped its way into every fiber of her body, she couldn't seem to get her brain to settle down. It was a combination of the caffeine and the fact that she kept repeating that kiss over and over again with Ino's accusation of her having a crush on Kakashi as an annoying soundtrack. That had been the first time she'd ever been kissed like that in her entire life. She'd heard about it, seen it a few times courtesy of Ino, but she'd never thought she'd actually _like_ it. The idea of someone putting their tongue in her mouth seemed so… unsanitary.

Sakura rolled over onto her back, one arm draped over her head while the other picked at her blankets uneasily. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth while studying the moon-washed coloring of her ceiling, trying to make better sense of everything that had happened. The last two days had been… mind blowing. So much had happened in so little time that it seemed so unreal. She'd received a sort of promotion, been on two dates (she counted the failed dinner and the walk home as a half a date apiece), received two _very_ intense kisses and discovered that she was interested sexually in her much older team leader.

Where the hell did she even start?

Sighing as she raked her fingers back through her hair, Sakura decided to go with the kisses rather than the sexual interest. Just admitting it to herself was enough to make her blush hotly.

There was such a huge difference between those two kisses and the ones prior. In terms of her mission, this was a good thing. It showed an increased interest in her sexually, which was exactly what she'd been aiming for. However, it was also proving to be a little more than she'd been expecting as well. Kakashi was the first man (that she was aware of, at least) to ever give her _that look_; the one that all the movies portrayed right before the actors shared a passionate kiss… or had sex. Until she'd seen that overwhelming intensity in his eye, she'd always thought it was just something the actors did to make the scene more romantic.

To think someone like Kakashi would look at her like that… it was intimidating, to say the least. She'd never had a man stare at her like he wanted nothing more than to strip her bare and do things that made Ino's romance novels seem decent in comparison. She'd also never felt like she wouldn't have minded that either. Even now, despite the fact that she knew she had to keep her head and treat this like a mission, her stomach clenched eagerly at the memory of that kiss.

As if it were a reflexive action, Sakura traced her fingers over her lips once again, closing her eyes as she replayed the kiss in her head for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. Little details that had been overlooked due to her brain shutting down now surfaced more clearly. Such as the fact that she knew he kept a clean jaw line, as was evident by the lack of facial hair scraping against her jaw. His lower lip was also a little fuller than the top, which meant he could probably pull off a decent pout if he wanted to. She was also certain there was absolutely _nothing_ wrong with his teeth.

Sakura rolled over onto her side, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at the wall, still running her fingertips back and forth over her lips. Her first truly passionate kiss. She knew, regardless of her inexperience, that it had been one helluva kiss, too. Just the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about it proved that. Such a surprising mix of gentleness and forcefulness… She could very easily see herself getting hooked on kissing him.

She growled irritably and smacked her pillow, annoyed with herself for even thinking something that stupid. Damn it… why couldn't he have been really bad at it? Why couldn't he have suctioned half her face off, drooled all over… done _something_ to make it less enjoyable than it had been! She was already having a hard enough time coping with the fact that he was actually fun to date. It just seemed so unfair that he had to be a good kisser, too.

That last kiss… oh, god… She squirmed under the covers as the warm, achy feeling began to tighten in her lower stomach, the movement making her thighs rub together lightly… and her eyes widened when a jolt of pleasure lanced through her.

Sakura wasn't so naïve that she didn't understand the cause of that sensation. She'd spent the last two and a half years studying medicine, after all- and that included a full course on anatomy and sexual reproduction. By unintentionally applying pressure to the labia and clitoris, she had stimulated the nerve connections which in turn triggered the pleasure receptors in her brain to release endorphins into her system. Naturally, this reaction didn't happen every time a woman happened to clench her thighs. While always sensitive, this reaction from the vaginal area only occurred when a woman was sexually receptive.

And it was all because she couldn't get that last kiss out of her head.

In hesitant experimentation, she rubbed her thighs together again. The jolt returned, causing her breath to hitch and her nipples to harden as if cold. She repeated the movement while thinking about the way Kakashi's mouth had felt on hers—the slow slide of his tongue, the faint taste of coffee, the pressure of his hands as he'd held her to him—and a small gasp edged its way between her parted lips. It felt good. But something told her it could feel great, if only she…

Her hand was sliding across her hip before she was even aware of it, fingers shaking as it traced down over her bare thigh. She was touching the cotton hem of her panties now and the ache had evolved into a dull, needing throb that echoed her pulse. Her fingers trailed slowly inward, tracing the decal design of smiling daisies. Just one last inch and then—

"Yo."

Sakura bolted upright with a quickly choked off cry at the lazily drawled voice coming from her floor. She pulled her hand away swiftly, her cheeks so hot that it was a miracle her face didn't catch fire. It took her several panicked moments before she recognized the lumpy mass staring at her as a small pug. Crap… she'd forgotten all about telling him he could come over!

"Pakkun! Jeez… You scared the crap outta me," she complained, slumping back against her pillows as the adrenaline flooded through her body. She couldn't believe what she'd been about to do. Hell, she couldn't believe _Pakkun_ had almost caught her about to do that! She knew that it was normal to touch one's self in a more sexual sense, but, well… _she'd_ never had the urge to do it before. And it was both embarrassing and a little frightening.

"Sorry. Thought you'd heard me," the dog commented, stretching to put his front paws as close to the mattress edge as possible. She'd thought it was impossible to blush any harder, but she did when she noticed his crinkled nose sniff the air curiously. "Want me to come back later?"

Sighing heavily, she shook her head before leaning over to scoop the dog up and deposit him on the mattress beside her, all while ignoring the lingering throb between her legs and hoping like hell Pakkun couldn't actually smell her. That would be beyond embarrassing and she would probably never be able to face the little pug again. She pulled the tiny hitae-ate from his wrinkled face and worked the Velcro tabs on his vest open to pull the garment off as well.

Pakkun grunted gratefully as he turned a couple circles on the bedspread before settling himself between her elbow and her side. "Jubei's right," he commented. "Your bed's _much_ nicer than Kakashi's."

"Thanks," she muttered back, idly scratching her nails along his shoulder and lower chest. "Pakkun?"

"Hn?"

"Am I… What kind of woman does Kakashi like?" The only reason she could think of to ask such a silly question was to attempt to get her mind off… other things.

The pug heaved a deep breath, one that made his whiskers tickle against her forearm. "If you're askin' if you're it, then I'll tell ya right now you're nothin' like the usual females he introduces us to. So… I guess you're not."

Sakura cringed as a heavy, sinking feeling settled in her stomach. That shouldn't have upset her as much as it did. She'd sort of guessed from the way Genma and Shizune had talked that she wasn't his preferred type. Frowning thoughtfully as the dog next to her rolled over onto his back, she asked, "Then why'd he say yes? If I'm not his type, I mean."

"Maybe he's just sick of the usual sort," Pakkun suggested, groaning blissfully as she found a particularly itchy spot. "The Big Dog knows _we're_ sick of 'em."

That caused her to lift her head just enough to stare at him. "'We're' as in… the ninken?"

Pakkun snorted, causing his flopping jowls to jerk with the sharp movement. "Yep. That last one was th' worst. I've eaten rawhides that were more fun than her."

Sakura giggled, covering her mouth with her free hand to stifle the sound. She didn't want Ino waltzing back in there to see what was so funny. "What was wrong with her?" she asked, knowing she probably shouldn't pry but feeling extremely curious at the same time.

"Little to th' right… yeah… right there. Anyway, for starters she didn't like us. Like, she was nice to us whenever he was in the room, but as soon as he left she'd stop pettin' us and always looked like she was ready to get sick if we got too close to her. An' she had an annoying laugh, an' she laughed at _everything_ he said, even the stuff that wasn't funny."

"Which is everything he says," she joked dryly, earning a grumbling sort of laugh from the dog.

"The only thing we all liked about her was when she tried to end it with him," Pakkun continued, his leg giving a hard thump when she found a sensitive spot. "See, Moroha was havin' puppies one night—,"

"Who's Moroha?" she interrupted curiously.

"Oh, she's another ninken. Don't think you've been introduced to her properly," the pug supplied helpfully. "Anyway, she was havin' puppies for the first time so me an' Yaku went to get Kakashi 'cause Moroha was freakin' out. So, we track 'im down at this woman's place an' pop in on 'em while they're eating. We tell Kakashi what's going on an' he gets up to leave. That's when the woman starts _screamin'_ at him, telling him she's sick of him putting everything but her first."

Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes. Yeah, she sounded like she was a _lovely_ woman. And probably a civilian, too. It was hard for anyone who wasn't a ninja to understand that some things _had_ to take precedence over a relationship. Such as a dog that was there through thick and thin having her first litter of puppies. "And then what?" she prompted, already guessing what was coming next.

"Then, she told him it was her or us… and Kakashi told _her_ that was an easy one and walked out the door."

Despite the fact that the woman sounded just awful, she couldn't help wincing in sympathy. "So, did Kakashi get there in time?"

"Yep. One of the Inuzuka women was helpin' Moroha out until he got there. He only missed two of the eight."

"Aw… She had eight puppies? That's so cute!"

Pakkun rolled over and gave himself a good shake before settling down so that his head was now pillowed on her shoulder. "Yeah, they're some of the best lookin' pups I've ever seen," the pug replied proudly. "'Course, Moroha's a nice lookin' bitch herself. A good thing they take after her and not the father…"

Sakura arched a brow at the disgruntled tone in his voice. "It sounds like you're not too fond of the father," she commented.

The pug glowered sourly at her and said in a clipped tone, "I'm not, an' neither's Kakashi. Moroha's the fastest dog in our pack an' she was out for four months to take care of her puppies."

"Well, can you blame her? I mean, that _was_ her first litter."

"Yeah… you're right," he agreed reluctantly. "An' she was fine leavin' them alone after that first mission. You should see 'em now though. Barely a year old an' they're bigger than Yaku. An' they're smart, too! Three of 'em are already talking full out words. Even the Inuzuka women are impressed, which is really sayin' something."

Sakura couldn't help smiling as she gave the pug a little squeeze. "That's really great, although I can't say as I'm surprised. All of you guys are really smart."

Pakkun cracked an eye open sleepily before he snuggled closer against her side. "It's too bad you're tryin' to get his books, Sakura-chan. 'Cause you'd be a good change for him."

She blushed hotly, squirming uneasily at that unexpected comment as well as the fact that it made her recall his kiss once again. Smiling hesitantly at the pug, she patted his side and said, "I'm going to bed now, Pakkun. You can stay if you want."

"I was hoping you'd say that," the small dog replied smugly.

It didn't take him long to fall asleep, snoring softly against her shoulder. She normally would have been cursing over the fact that yet another night's sleep was going to be ruined by a dog who snored, but seeing as it didn't seem like she was going to sleep anyway… she could let it slide. Sighing, Sakura raked her fingers back through her hair and stared at her ceiling dismally.

What if Ino was right and this was a little more than just lust? What if, as unbelievable as it sounded, she was actually falling for him? No… that wasn't happening. They'd only been on four dates, damn it! There was no way she had a crush on him, not that quickly. Besides, she couldn't afford to let that happen.

Because in a little under six months, this would all be over. She would either get the books or end up working midnight shifts. Neither solution included dating Kakashi anywhere in it, so it was stupid to even entertain the idea. This was a mission. This was _only_ a mission.

Despite how many times she repeated that mantra to herself, it still couldn't drown out Ino's accusation. Great… Sighing wearily, Sakura covered her eyes with one hand and muttered, "You are _such_ an idiot!"

* * *

Kakashi closed the door of his apartment and locked it before slouching back against the solid wood with an exhausted sigh. With an idle flick of his hand, he hit the light switch and flooded the small, cramped space in a dull yellow glow. He tugged his hitae-ate off, letting it drop heavily to the worn wooden floor without a care that people lived below him, and pulled his mask down to bunch around his neck. His head tipped back until it met the door as he closed his other eye wearily.

Well… tonight was an absolute success. The only thing he hadn't planned on was her kiss being so sweet. What she'd lacked in technique she'd more than made up for in enthusiasm. He couldn't recall ever kissing a woman whose responses were so raw and honest. Most of the women he'd dated in the past had made it very obvious that it was little more than a tool to get him in bed, not that he really needed much encouraging there. But Sakura… she kissed like she _wanted _to kiss him. In a way, he supposed he shouldn't be so surprised about it. She was a very straightforward girl, so it made sense that quality would show through in every aspect of her life.

And yes, the irony of her kissing so sincerely when in fact her motives were anything but wasn't lost on him either.

He pushed away from the door, unzipping his flak vest to let it fall with a heavy thud and the clanking of metal on metal to the floor. His shoes followed almost immediately after as he flopped onto the worn couch barely even ten feet from the doorway. The bindings around his ankles came off next and the neatly rolled strips were dropped onto his battered coffee table haphazardly. Kakashi tugged the long sleeved shirt off and tossed it onto the floor as well before feeling around under the couch for his book.

Tonight felt like it was an _Icha Icha Violence_ night. He was too tired to dig through his library of books for anything else, a feat that would have required shuffling around cardboard boxes filled to overflowing with novels in order to get to the bookcase that covered the entire length of one wall. The bookcase was courtesy of Tenzou, who had been appalled to find that his sempai had taken to using the stacks of books as makeshift tables or chairs. He'd made the solid wooden shelves and had even helped to alphabetize the volumes (something that Kakashi hadn't bothered with since), all in exchange for some dinner. It was a fair trade, he supposed.

But even with all the storage space Tenzou had provided, there were still at least six boxes of books without a home. It was organized chaos, and he loved it.

It always surprised people when they discovered his rather impressive collection of books. Their wide eyes and slack jaws never ceased to amuse him. What, people honestly thought he owned and read only _two_ books? It was so amusing in fact that he helped perpetuate the image by making certain those were the _only_ two books people ever saw- even if it wasn't what he was actually reading. It was amazing what a little Henge no Jutsu could do. While Jiraiya's books were undoubtedly his favorites (and nine times out of ten what he actually _was_ carrying on him), there were other authors of equal talent. He had everything from poetry to horror in those boxes, even a few self help books that some sick acquaintances had given to him—which remained unread to this day. They came in awfully handy for propping his broken windows open in the summer.

But Jiraiya… the man was truly gifted. He made writing an art, used words in a way that left a person in awe after a single sentence. What he did with a story transcended genius and entered the realms of magical. It was a shame the man would only be known for his smut novels rather than the beautiful, lyrical stories in his other books. He had a way of writing that made the reader experience the story first hand, which was why the _Icha Icha_ series was so popular despite the fact that they usually had two or three full blown sex sequences at most per volume. Jiraiya didn't need sex to write an erotic story. Just his verbiage alone was enough to get a reader hot.

_Icha Icha Paradise_ was very good, but it was very apparent in reading that it was the first of the series. A solid plot, everything tied up nicely in the end… but there was enough left open that it needed a second book. _Icha Icha Violence_'s plot was much more condensed and focused than its predecessor's, which produced an overall better quality book in his opinion. Yes, it still left him eager to find out what happened to the protagonist, but if Jiraiya chose to stop the series right there it would be a satisfactory ending. Though… he _really _hoped that wouldn't happen. Sighing contentedly as he flipped through the pages to where he'd left off, Kakashi settled comfortably into his couch with the intention of losing himself in the story line once more.

_The night air was cool on my face, slightly damp feeling from rain that had only moments before swept through the area. Moonlight shifted the natural colors of the scenery so that the blue river became a sliver of silver, green trees splotched the sky like ink stains, the mountains a black void that ate the stars. The night was filled with its usual quiet cacophony; the clicking of katydids hidden in the brush, the hushed gossip of wind whispering through trees and the occasional query of a nocturnal bird searching out its next meal. And here I was, amidst this simple and perfect beauty, and yet my memory kept reminding me of a beauty more perfect than anything this night could offer._

_It had been two years since we last saw each other, and yet her impression lingered so fixedly in my conscious mind that I could experience her simply by remembering. I could touch skin that was not reminiscent silk, but rather the softest and most addicting sin. Her eyes, old in the things they'd seen and yet youthful in the joy they still beheld in the world. I remembered curling my hands through strands of sunlight—that was how her hair looked under the dawn light as it splayed across the dirt and dew speckled grass. And her lips… those deceptive lips. They fooled a man with their gentle curvature. She hid the sharpness of her tongue behind lips that any man would die to taste—_

Sounded a bit like Sakura, actually. She certainly had a kunai for a tongue when the occasion warranted it. And her lips could definitely be described as tasty, especially since she used a fruity flavored lip gloss… Kakashi blew out a breath and focused once again on his book, determined not to think any further about her or her delicious mouth.

_But more than her eyes and hair, more even than her lips, what I remembered most about her were the soft swells of her breasts, rising from her slim frame much like the gentle, rolling hills I was currently camped in. My fingertips slid through the swaying grass with an almost reverent caress, as if I were sampling that supple flesh once more. If I closed my eyes right there, I could almost feel the dimpling of those full mounds under my fingers, the tightening of rose-tipped peaks with the faintest tracing of my—_

"Damn it, Jiraiya, get to the point," he muttered irritably, huffing as he skipped the rest of that overly descriptive paragraph and took up again at the one below. Normally, the Sannin's use of eloquent phrasing was nothing short of breathtaking, but tonight… it was reminding him a little too much of a particular pink haired girl. Most notably the way she'd rubbed her breasts against him with subconscious abandon. He scowled at his book and started into the next paragraph eagerly.

_It saddened me that such shapely thighs belonged to another, that hands other than my own were now exploring the sweetness of her—_

Kakashi growled under his breath and flipped the page sharply, his eye scanning through the paragraphs quickly to find when the reminiscing ended and the violence started. Two pages later and he found his bloodshed.

_I grabbed hold of her ebony hair, twisting the silken locks around my fist as I hauled her back against me. She had succeeded in controlling her labored bids for breath, but from the way I had her smooth, porcelain neck arched I could see her pulse fluttering erratically. I couldn't resist inhaling the sweetness of her skin mingled with the salty sweat and copper-tinted blood from our fight. She was young, inexperienced… and she was beautiful._

_How could any man resist the intoxicating feel of a woman writhing against them? She was struggling to break free, the kunai still gripped tightly in the hand I held pinned securely across her small, firm breasts. The gasps and pants that came with her efforts were addicting. The hand I had around her wrist, keeping that deadly blade from moving in for the kill, shifted that barest fraction needed to rub over a pert nipple._

_There was no bra between her skin and the rough texture of her shirt… and the effect of that simple touch was immediate. Her grip on the kunai loosened, slowly, until it fell to the ground and stuck. It was no longer my grip in her hair that was causing her to arch against me, nor was it the thrill of battle that now made her gasp._

"_Junko… I-I didn't want to," she whispered, pressing her toned rear into my groin eagerly. "They said if I didn't kill you that they'd—,"_

"_Shh," I soothed, bending lower so as to taste the flawless skin of her throat. She cried out, pressing her hips more eagerly against mine as I sucked that quivering pulse between my lips. "I know, Mariko. They have your family hostage. I know."_

"_Please… help me. Anything I have to offer is yours, just please help me save my family." As if to prove her point, she gently pushed away from me and began to disrobe, exposing more and more of that deliciously pale skin to the moonlight. Her delicate shoulders, those high, proud breasts with their puckered—_

Kakashi shut the book with a sharp, irritable snap and dropped it onto the beaten coffee table, displacing a small stack of unopened mail onto the floor. Maybe it wasn't an _Icha Icha Violence_ night after all. The more he read about Mariko's physique, the more his imagination started altering certain canonical facts about her. She was shorter than was described, her brown eyes looked closer to green and her dark hair had suddenly lightened to a pale pink shade. By the time his imagination was done making its alterations, Mariko looked more like Sakura than the woman Jiraiya described.

Kakashi ran a hand back through his hair, frowning at the water stained ceiling of his apartment. This wasn't good. He'd never had any problem losing himself in _Icha Icha_ before. And he'd never replaced any of the attractive female leads with another woman either. Especially not Tsutokami Mariko. She was by far his favorite female in the series, barring the as yet unnamed blonde Junko never seemed able to forget. So… why was Sakura crowding in on his favorite fictional woman?

More than likely, it was because the last time he'd had any sort of intimate contact with a woman had been close to a year ago. What had her name been? Aki? Akemi? Oh, that's right… it was Ayakimi— Kimi for short. He seemed to remember her telling Genma that repeatedly. She'd been a wild one, liked to scratch his back raw. He hadn't been too happy with that. Fortunately she'd also had a fetish for being tied down otherwise his back would have been a bloody, shredded mess.

That had been the shortest relationship he'd ever had. Maybe three weeks, tops. Other than the (mostly) amazing sex, he really wasn't sure why he'd been interested in her. She hadn't been particularly good conversation and had been unnaturally obsessed with 'getting some color' in his closet, as she put it. One of her attempt, a bright green sweater he was almost positive Gai had a hand in picking out, had been converted into a cute little dog bed for Pakkun. He'd found pieces of it scattered across his living room the following morning.

The only reason he remembered breaking up with her was because that was the night Moroha had given birth to her first litter. Kimi had been furious when he'd left to go take care of the new mother, something to this day he didn't understand. Why she would ever think that he would pick her over his ninken was baffling. As a jounin and a fellow dog lover (or so she'd claimed to be), she should have known where his priorities were. Moroha was one of the best trackers in all of Fire Country and she'd done more for him in the past than quite a few of his human counterparts ever had. He wasn't about to repay that sort of loyalty by abandoning her when she needed him.

Besides… newborn puppies were the sort of cuteness he just couldn't resist. He was embarrassed to admit that he had a Gai Moment every time he saw them.

It wasn't until afterward that Asuma had informed him that no one, not even Gai, had liked Kimi. He'd known from the start that the ninken didn't like her, but he'd just chalked that up to them being a little territorial, seeing as they hadn't liked any of the women he'd introduced them to thus far. To hear that same dislike from his human companions had only confirmed that she'd been as bad as Pakkun had said.

But that raised the question of Sakura once again. He knew Jubei genuinely liked the girl, which wasn't saying much considering the mutt would make friends with just about anyone. The only thing off about the white dog's regard of her was that he actually called her by name. Jubei never did that, not even for the baker down the street who spoiled him horribly with treats. It was always 'the treat man'. Not even Tsunade was addressed by anything other than 'boss woman'.

Yaku's indifference didn't really surprise him. That dog didn't care about anything unless it was mission related or affected him getting fed on time. But even he'd been a little more charitable toward Sakura than he was with anyone else. Commenting that at least she wasn't squeamish over a little mud was a huge compliment from the normally indifferent dog. That meant he was at least willing to tolerate her.

Still though, even if he discounted Jubei being excessively friendly and Yaku being himself that didn't explain why Bull and Pakkun were abnormally fond of her. The fact that those two, whom he usually could depend on completely, were purposely keeping information as to her mission from him was shocking. He knew they, unlike their other pack mates, didn't think with their stomachs, so there had to be another reason why both dogs liked Sakura to the point that they'd lie for her.

Kakashi sighed harshly and rubbed a hand across his eyes. He was tired, he was hungry and he was probably over thinking the entire thing. So what if the ninken liked her? Sakura was a very likeable girl. It made sense that the dogs would respond to her friendly nature favorably. There probably wasn't anything more to it than that.

Just like there wasn't anything more to him substituting Sakura for the _Icha Icha _women than it having been a while since he'd last had sex.

Satisfied that logic had once again reasserted itself, Kakashi pushed up from the couch and wandered into his kitchen to see about finding something edible. The cookies Sakura had made him were already gone, the empty container sitting on the small folding table next to the refrigerator. Asuma's remark about returning the dish with something in it had set the proverbial wheels to spinning. Personally, he thought that was the most ridiculous rule of etiquette he'd ever heard. If it was his dish, he would have preferred it come back clean rather than with more food in it. But… if that was the rule, then that was the rule.

Kakashi pulled open the cabinets above his sink, his eye narrowing thoughtfully as he scanned the meager contents. There were two cans of dog food, which really wasn't bad in a pinch and was probably a good deal healthier than most of the food in the grocery store. Some seaweed wrappers from who-knew-when. He didn't remember buying them, so they must have been from a long time ago. There was a small container of uncooked rice next to a bottle of cooking oil… Wow. He _really_ needed to do some shopping.

He pulled down the rice and the seaweed wrappers, sniffing the latter hesitantly to see if they'd gone bad. They smelled okay, which meant they couldn't be more than a year old at worse. Why did he even have these…? Oh, right. That cooking class Asuma had dragged him to a while back. Asuma had signed himself up for it in hopes of impressing Kurenai with his culinary skills. The reason Kakashi had gotten roped into it was because Asuma didn't want to be the only man in the room. But... that had been over a year ago. Shit… Kakashi sniffed them again just to be sure he hadn't missed the tell-tale muskiness of mold.

Dropping the items on the countertop, he wandered over to the fridge to see if there were maybe a couple eggs left. An omelet wasn't ideally what he would have wanted for dinner, but it was about the best option he had considering he was down to the last vestiges of his cupboard. He grinned when he spotted two lonely eggs left in the small container on the door and pulled them out.

Fortunately, he had enough of the basic seasonings to at least make it taste more exciting than it actually was. A little salt, pepper and garlic did wonders to an otherwise bland dish. It didn't take long to prepare his concoction and soon he was once again sitting on his lumpy couch and blowing across a small chunk of egg, rice and seaweed to cool it off. Kakashi took a bite and shrugged. Not half bad considering he pulled it out of his ass. Of course, it probably didn't hold a candle to the dinner Sakura had made for him…

Kakashi dropped his chopsticks onto the plate with a harsh clatter and slouched further into the couch as he glowered at the half eaten eggs. "This is crazy," he muttered out loud as he shook his head, poking one of the chopsticks with his fingers so that it nudged a piece of egg across his plate. He couldn't seem to go five minutes without that girl entering his thoughts.

Letting out an irritated breath, Kakashi took the remains of his dinner and put it in the fridge to have later since his appetite had up and left him. He stripped off his sleeveless shirt completely, tossing it into a chair that had seen much better days, before squeezing through the sliding door of what was supposed to have been a closet sized bedroom. It was now a small training area, complete with a punching bag and free weights that could be used with or without chakra.

The reason the door wouldn't open all the way was due to a sparring session with Asuma a while ago. The much larger man had thrown him across the room and directly into the door. They'd spent the rest of that afternoon trying to figure out what was wrong with the sliding track before admitting defeat. He probably should get that fixed sometime, seeing as he lost a bit of skin from his stomach every time he worked his way between the door and the wall.

Since his brain was refusing to forget about _one_ kiss, he'd just have to give it something else to concentrate on instead… like weight repetitions and sparring exercises. Yes, he was exhausted and had just gotten back from a mission… but nothing else was working. So, rather than relax with a book like he'd wanted to, Kakashi went to work on the punching bag.

It was heavier than the standard style, the idea being that if he could hit it hard enough to set it in motion then he wouldn't have any trouble taking out an enemy with a good blow to the chest. He'd gotten the idea from Genma, who had borrowed it from Asuma, who had stolen it from Gai. While it technically was one of Maito Gai's inventions, he figured it was far enough removed from the original source that it didn't look like he'd copied the eccentric man. Of course, that had the side effect of upping Genma's overall coolness factor… But if it was a choice between that or Gai smirking because he'd borrowed another training concept, he would gladly elevate Genma's status any day.

The first punch was hard enough to jerk the chains attaching it to the ceiling and floor harshly, sending fine drywall dust falling from above. One of these days the ceiling chain was going to give. Luckily for him, he knew a fabulous woodworker who could fix it up better than brand new. Kakashi quickly fell into a rhythm of punches, interspersing a few elbow jabs and palm blows for good measure. The pleasant warmth that came from working his muscles began to spread throughout his entire upper body. It was the sort of ache that felt fantastic while it was happening but would probably leave him sore and exhausted later. He couldn't wait.

He had no idea how long he'd been at it but he didn't stop until his lungs were burning for an even breath and his skin was slick with sweat. Panting, Kakashi pushed the hair out of his eyes and studied his reddened knuckles with mild interest. He remembered a time when he would punch to the point that the skin would break and his palms would be sticky with drying blood. That hadn't happened in years.

Against his will, his mind flashed back to Sakura's hands and how they now sported a few of the same scars as his did. Kakashi frowned as he ran a finger over his sore knuckles. No… hers weren't the same. His scars had long ago smoothed out so that they were barely noticeable against his natural skin tone. Hers were still new enough to be felt, raised marks to her otherwise smooth…

Kakashi hung his head in defeat, the ends of his hair dripping sweat onto the matted floor of the small workout space. A few stray drops hit his bare feet, but he hardly noticed. "So… it's going to be like this, is it?" he murmured, though whether he was speaking to his one-tracked thoughts or to the object _of_ those thoughts was unclear, even to him. All he really knew was that it was absurd to be thinking about her like this, not unless it was related to her mission or his lesson. He shouldn't be so fixated on her hands or her personality or the way she'd kissed him.

_Especially_ not the way she'd kissed him. It wasn't like it was all that spectacular, really. She'd obviously never been kissed like that before and it showed. From a technical aspect, he'd had better. Not that she was awful or anything. It was just… maybe a seven out of ten, if he were rating it. So if it was just an average kiss why in the hell did he keep coming back to it?

Sighing, Kakashi pushed his damp hair away from his forehead once again. He needed to shower and he needed to sleep. That's what his problem was. He would have added a quick hand job to the list of things he needed were it not for the fact he was a little afraid of where his mind would wander. So, with a rather grim look on his face, Kakashi exited the cramped training space and entered the bathroom. He turned on the shower, stripped down and waited the customary five minutes for the water to heat up.

It wasn't until he stepped under the spray, gasping in shock at the feel of it hitting him all over, that he discovered the hot water heater had more than likely broken down again. Normally, this sort of discovery was followed by a healthy round of cussing, some fumbling to shut the water off and a desperate grab for a towel and his clothing. Tonight, however, he wasn't going to fight fate.

Because apparently fate thought he needed a good, cold shower.

* * *

Jiraiya chewed on the end of his pen thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed as he read over the words he'd written so far. His publishers were all but breathing down his neck to get a new book out… which was why he and his apprentice were constantly on the move. There were bigger things going on than a new book from him. Good luck telling that to a publishing agency though. Yeah, so he was almost three years overdue for a new _Icha Icha_ book. Big deal! Did they have any idea how hard it was penning the script for—not one, but _two_—movies? Not to mention all the promotional side stories, the book signings all over the place and the film premieres he was expected to attend but rarely did? They were damned lucky he was only a few pages away from being finished!

And was this one a doozy! It was probably the best thing he'd ever written to date, if he said so himself… which he did. Emphatically. No matter what that snot-nosed little brat of an apprentice said. One of these days, he knew Naruto would appreciate his art. Jiraiya snorted and rolled his eyes at that. Yeah, maybe when it was converted into picture format… which the publisher was in talks to do. He'd made it very clear though that _he_ had the final word about the chosen artist to best represent his work. After all, he didn't want some two-bit hack destroying the beauty of his leading ladies.

The Sannin sighed and set his pen down, stretching fingers that had long gone stiff from hugging a pen all evening. An answering sigh across the room made him glance up from the scattered sheets of paper to the boy lying on his stomach across one of the twin beds. Their inn for the evening was a modest one, but it boasted a _very_ nice wait staff. Most particularly the buxom brunette in the kitchen and that feisty little red head in the bar. He'd have to see about tracking them down later, once the kid went to sleep.

Speaking of the kid though… Jiraiya smiled at the back of Naruto's head as the boy continued to stare out the window, chin propped on his palms. He didn't need to see his face to know it had that wistful look on it. That expression had been coming out more and more these days. Well, it only made sense, seeing as they were getting closer to the border of Fire Country. It'd been almost two and a half years since they'd left together, so naturally Naruto was feeling a little homesick.

Jeez… two and a half years already. It seemed like just yesterday that he'd left Konoha with a scrawny, loud-mouthed runt in tow. Now though… it was hard to believe this was the same kid. He'd definitely hit his growth spurt and was filling out pretty well in the muscles, too. Every day that went by, he was starting to look more and more like his father. The only thing that hadn't changed was that mouth of his.

There were only two times Jiraiya knew of where Naruto ever shut up; when he was bribed with food or when he was missing home. And seeing as they'd just eaten a good amount at the local buffet (the owners were probably regretting they'd made it an all-you-can-eat establishment now), chances were likely that it was the latter. Or maybe indigestion. Damn it… he _really_ didn't want to sleep with a window open tonight!

"Y'know," he drawled, startling Naruto so badly the kid almost fell off the bed. "Konoha… is that way." He pointed toward the far left wall, his grin widening as those wide blue eyes scrunched closed indignantly.

"I know that," Naruto said quickly, scurrying into a sitting position. "And how _d'you _know I was looking for it anyway? Maybe I was just watchin' the stars."

Jiraiya snorted and began gathering his manuscript up for the evening. "Yeah, sure. Thinking of becoming an astrologist instead of Hokage?"

"Ha-ha! I don't see why you're makin' a big deal outta it." The boy's scowl deepened further as he grabbed his pillows, flung them at the foot of the bed and flopped down on them.

The Sannin arched a brow at that but didn't comment on the oh-so-coincidental fact that this rather odd sleeping arrangement now made it possible for Naruto to stare at the far left wall. Massaging the back of his neck to ease the crick that was formed from writing all day, Jiraiya released a low breath and glanced at the stiff shoulders of his apprentice thoughtfully.

He knew time was running out, just as surely as Naruto did. The kid was definitely stronger than he'd been two years ago… but was he ready to face his old teammate in battle? Jiraiya wasn't foolish enough to believe that Orochimaru hadn't put Uchiha Sasuke through his paces and back again during that same time. And, admittedly, he probably should have been a bit stricter with Naruto's training himself… but sometimes there were things more important than training and getting stronger.

Like being a sixteen-year-old kid.

Damn, he hated wartime. Everyone just grew up too fast. He'd been younger than Naruto the first time he'd seen a front line. Thankfully, he didn't remember most of it due to some nasty head trauma, but according to the stories he'd heard that was probably for the best. The only thing he regretted _not_ seeing was Tsunade in action. Goddamn, was she a fine woman in a fight! As morbid as it was, she never looked more beautiful than when she was on a battlefield.

It occurred to Jiraiya that maybe he wasn't delaying the return to Konoha for Naruto's sake. Maybe… he just didn't want to see another kid lose his childhood to war. Yeah, he knew it was all part of being a shinobi. That didn't mean he had to like it. It was a bit childish to think that way perhaps… but since when had he ever claimed to be mature? Still though, they had to return sometime. He couldn't very well expect Naruto to be content simply to wander around at his side. The boy had friends to get back to, dreams to see through. Jiraiya cared too much about him to deny him those things.

Sighing once again, Jiraiya stood up and sat on the edge of Naruto's bed. The boy slid a curious glance at him from the corner of his eye but didn't say a word. "Listen," the Sannin said slowly, drumming his fingers on the mattress idly. "Two more weeks."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, rolling onto his side to regard his mentor with a confused look on his face.

"Two more weeks," Jiraiya repeated, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. "You give me two more weeks to finish up a few things and we'll head back to Konoha. Deal?"

The grin Naruto flashed was enough to let him know that was the right decision. "Deal," he laughed back, his eyes lighting up excitedly. "And don't think I'm not gonna hold you to that either, ya pervy sage!"

"Hey now, kiddo. I can easily get us _lost_, you know," the older man growled in mock threat.

Naruto rolled his eyes as he resumed his former position on his stomach. "Yeah, like that whole week we spent _lost_ in those hot springs in Rain Country?" he shot back sarcastically. "I think you were just too busy peekin' on all the women to pay attention to the map!"

Jiraiya glowered at the back of that impudent blonde head but didn't bother replying. What was the point when the kid spoke the truth? He stood up and ruffled the messy blonde hair sticking out in every direction but flat, grinning at the outraged snarl from the younger boy. "I hear there's a really nice nudist community around here. Maybe we should go pay them a visit," he joked, his grin widening at the muffled groan from his apprentice.


	18. Look Out

"Keep up, you two! I know Lee and I are setting an intimidating pace, but it should only encourage you to get stronger!"

Tenten ignored Gai's attempt at verbal encouragement as she leapt into the next tree branch. Neji was right along side her and it made her snicker to see he had the same idea as she did. What was the point of going faster when their two spandex clad teammates would only speed up once they broke even? So long as they kept Lee and Gai-sensei in sight (which she normally preferred _not_ to do from behind) they were okay.

They were coming back from a ten day mission to Wind Country and _damn_ was she glad to be back on familiar ground! Wind Country was so… empty. It was all sand and flat lands with nothing to see except for the occasional cliff. The wind had been horrible, which was to be expected since it was _Wind_ Country. But to top it off, Lee had spent a good amount of time moping.

The reason their usually effervescent teammate was feeling rather glum was that he'd asked Gai-sensei last night if he was ready to face is 'rival in love' (how Kakashi-sensei was now being referred to, though she personally didn't see _any_ rivalry there at all) and their team leader had said… absolutely not. All three of them had been shocked by Maito Gai's bluntness, and Lee came incredibly close to tears at his idol's disapproval.

Of course, the remedy for that was to work harder… which they did. Incessantly. Poor Lee trained every minute of every day, excluding the time needed for their mission. He and Gai-sensei were up before the sun and didn't rest until the sky was starting to lighten. How he hadn't collapsed yet from sheer exhaustion, she had no idea. But she wasn't gonna complain about all the training since it meant she and Neji were left alone more often than they usually were. And man, oh man, was she _ever_ grateful for that!

They'd managed to get in their first and only date during the four day break they'd had and honestly… it wasn't as great as she'd hoped it would be. That didn't mean she wasn't eager to get the hell back and give it another go, merely that it had left her feeling a little underwhelmed by the whole experience. Part of that probably had to do with the fact that she'd been unfortunate enough to discover she was allergic to bees. Nothing killed romance like rushing your date to the hospital because her arm started swelling up.

Still though, even without that bee incident it hadn't been a very good first date. Neji hadn't said much and when he _did_ speak it was to inform her of the genus of such-and-such flower. He'd sounded like a freakin' horticultural guide. She'd tried to ask about his personal interests, but the answers to those questions were short, clipped and definitely carrying a do-not-ask vibe. So… they'd talked about training, their teammates, and missions past and in the future. All of it nice, safe and totally _not_ what people were supposed to talk about on dates.

The really strange thing though was that during their alone time on the mission, Neji had been just fine. They'd talked easily enough and she'd even managed to get a couple smiles out of him. It was completely different from the stiff, formal person she'd gone out with before. He'd been relaxed (or as relaxed as a Hyuuga ever got) and didn't speak as if he were reading the dictionary out loud. If she didn't know any better, Tenten would almost say that Hyuuga Neji had been nervous on their first date.

Which was why she was willing to go on a second date with him, only this time… _she_ was picking the place.

Tenten glanced ahead to make certain Gai and Lee were out of earshot before calling over to Neji, "Hey, I know we're still technically on a mission… but wanna do something when we get back?"

For a split second, she could have sworn Neji lost his footing on the branch he'd just landed on. There was a beat of silence where they continued to leap from tree to tree before he called back, "Such as?"

Good question. She hadn't thought further ahead than asking him out, actually. Tenten fell quiet as she frantically tried to think of something they could do together. Finally, an idea hit her. It was something she'd loved to do with her uncle before he died and she was pretty certain the Hyuuga prodigy had never done anything like it before. "Meet me by the bridge going over the Shirakaba River two days from now. Say… six in the morning."

Neji glanced over at her, one brow quirked and a calculating look in his eyes. He had an idea of what she was up to, that much was obvious. The question was if he would still be game knowing that was her plan. She got her answer when he replied evenly, "Very well. The bridge at six in the morning. I'll be there."

Grinning, Tenten pushed off the next branch a little harder, giving herself enough forward momentum to move faster through the trees. She was still grinning as their team made it to the gates of the village and checked in with the guards sitting there. And she was _still_ grinning later that afternoon when they'd collected their mission pay (plus the one from last time that they hadn't received due to a system glitch) and gone their separate ways. She couldn't help being in such a good mood over his response.

Because in two days she and Hyuuga Neji were going fishing. She could not _wait_ to get his hot ass in the water!

* * *

Sakura hurried into the locker room of the hospital to grab her stuff and get out of there. She was running late because Tsunade had her doing extra errands in preparation for the arrival of the Suna delegation in a few days' time. She'd spent the entire afternoon couriering around housing documents, organizing catering contracts, signing for decorations for the formal dinner, directing deliveries… to say it was a bit chaotic was an understatement.

She ran out the door before anyone noticed her hasty departure, using the opportunity provided by Tsunade being in a meeting to sneak out while she could. Normally, she wouldn't have minded staying late to help in whatever capacity she could… but not tonight. Tonight was a bit of a special one and she needed to prepare for it.

Tonight… she was going to steal _Icha Icha _from Kakashi.

Unofficially, they'd been dating for a little over one month now. That one month included the two weeks he'd been away in Grass, so _officially_ it was more like a little over three weeks. Close enough as far as she was concerned. In that time she'd made some progress with him, most notably the fact that he was now kissing her without the mask— though she still had yet to actually see his face. But as far as progress toward her objective? Nothing. She didn't have a damn thing to show for it.

Inspiration had finally struck two days ago, when she and Ino had been sitting on the couch trying to come up with a way to separate _Icha Icha _from Kakashi. They'd spent hours concocting plans, some of which were so ridiculous that they had to pause for a few minutes just to laugh at them. The conversation from there had gotten off topic as they reminisced about their genin days, their teammates both present and missing… and that was when Sakura stumbled upon the solution to the problem; Naruto. Or, to be more specific, they way Naruto used simple, basic jutsu to maximum result. In particular, the Bunshin and Henge no Jutsu.

After several minutes of excited screeching, Ino shouting to know what was going on and their downstairs neighbor banging on the floor with a broom handle, Sakura finally calmed down enough to explain her epiphany. The idea was to take a book— any book—and carry it around in her purse. She would then very subtly find out which _Icha Icha _book Kakashi had on him, slip into the bathroom, Henge no Jutsu _her_ book to match the one he had and then switch the books out during the goodnight kiss.

There was no doubt in her mind that he would figure out his book had been switched, but there would be no proof that she'd been the one to do it. The streets of Konoha were rife with ninja, some of whom would regard stealing _Icha Icha _from the resident pervert a rite of passage of sorts. It _very_ easily could have been anyone who happened to pass him by on the way home… or at least that was what she would argue if or when he asked her about it.

It was a simple, clever plan… but there was one problem with it, and that was the part where she swapped books while he kissed her. It was the perfect opportunity to do so since he would be distracted and she would have a legitimate reason to have her hands behind his back. However… every time he kissed her, she lost focus of everything but his mouth. With an operation like this, getting distracted meant the difference between success and being turned an ungodly shade of blue.

For the first couple times, she could understand having that sort of reaction. She'd never been kissed like that before so naturally the newness of the situation would be a little overwhelming. It stood to reason that eventually the novelty would wear off and kissing him would be commonplace. This was just like when a new ice cream flavor came out; everyone ate it because it was new, but after a while it was about as common place as vanilla.

Unfortunately, Kakashi's mouth hadn't lost any of its appeal yet. It was almost getting to the point where she looked forward to the end of the date, just because it meant he would pull that mask down and make the warm, tingling sensation flood through her. Her body all but shivered in anticipation for that initial contact of skin on skin, eager for the gentle brush of his tongue over hers. It was a heady, overwhelming feeling that was very addictive… which was a little scary, actually. There were times during the day where she swore she had a craving for his mouth.

So that was why she was going to do it tonight. She was starting to fear that maybe Ino had been right in saying she felt more for Kakashi than she wanted to admit, which was something she could _not_ let happen. The minute Kakashi found out she'd only been dating him to for his smutty books (which sounded _much_ worse than it actually was), there wouldn't be a chance in hell that he'd ever go out with her again. Hell, she'd be lucky if he so much as glanced her way in passing after this…

Which actually brought up a very interesting point; this was something that very well could affect their team relationship. Tsunade _had_ to know Kakashi was going to be pissed when he discovered his books were missing, and after the second one goes missing it wouldn't take him long to figure out she was behind it. Was this bet _really_ so important to Tsunade that she'd risk fracturing Team Seven even further? Or maybe she didn't think the fallout would be too terrible since the books would only be gone for a week.

The idea of just saying 'screw it' to the mission and enjoying herself with Kakashi for real had crossed her mind a few days ago. It had been very tempting… but she'd very quickly talked herself out of it. Her reasoning had nothing to do with a year of graveyard shifts, though it had factored into her overall decision not to give up. What had gotten her to throw the idea out completely was the fact that her gut was telling her there was more to all this than met the eye.

What if this was some sort of test from Tsunade? It really wouldn't surprise her if it was. Tsunade was worse than Kakashi when it came to giving unusual tests. Why, during her first week of training under the Sannin she'd been strapped onto six foot tall stilts and told to walk around the village for a few hours. It had taken her nearly half an hour before she'd figured out that she was supposed to channel chakra into the damn stilts in order to keep her balance. The practice had been good for her since healing required that she channel chakra into a foreign body. The demonstration though had not only been difficult but embarrassing.

Tsunade's intentions aside, she still needed to get those books. It was starting to become a matter of pride as well for her. She was a kunoichi of Konoha, damn it! Her mentor was one of the legendary three Sannin. She was one of the smartest students in her class, had near perfect chakra control and was one of the best medics in the village. The fact that she couldn't get a couple volumes of porn off of her team leader, not to mention the fact that her plan of seducing him was starting to bite her on the ass, was downright embarrassing.

So, tonight was it. She was going to stay focused, keep her head clear and when he was kissing her she would—

"Hello, Sakura-san."

Sakura broke out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She turned, a warm smile lighting her face the minute she saw the owner that familiar voice. "Lee-san!" she exclaimed happily as she reached out to give his hand a quick, friendly squeeze. "When did you get back?"

A bright pink color flooded across his cheeks and his round eyes widened just the slightest. "J-Just now," he stammered, his voice breaking a little. "Have you… been well, Sakura-san?"

Laughing, she tucked a piece of hair back behind her ear and shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose. Tsunade-sama has me working extra hard, what with the Suna delegation due to arrive in three days. Oh! Will your team be around for the welcoming ceremonies? I can't really disclose _all_ the details, but it's definitely gonna be something you don't wanna miss."

"We will be here for it, yes," he confirmed.

"That's great! Maybe we'll bump into each other there. You could buy me a couple sticks of dango or something," she replied, winking to let him know it was a joke.

Lee's cheeks brightened even further as his shoulders went back just a little more, pushing his chest out proudly. "I would gladly buy you as much dango as you could possibly want, Sakura-san," he stated in a tone of utmost solemnity.

Sakura blushed at the sincerity behind his statement and adjusted the strap of her medic bag on her shoulder. Lee was one of the sweetest guys she knew… but sometimes he took the whole friendship thing a little far. There was no doubt in her mind that he would actually go through with his promise of buying her dango all night if she really wanted him to. An awkward silence fell between them as both of them continued to stand there, Sakura shifting uncertainly from foot to foot while Lee continued to stand at firm attention.

Deciding it was time to make her exit (she _did _have a date she needed to get ready for, after all), Sakura gave him one last smile and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you around then. It's good to have you back, Lee-san!"

She had just turned her back and started walking away when Lee suddenly called out, "Sakura-san… will you do me the great honor of having dinner with me tonight?"

Crap… Ever since the chuunin exams, Lee had been asking her out fairly regularly. It was definitely very flattering that he was being so persistent and she wished like hell she could return his affections. But she didn't. She loved having Rock Lee as a friend, but she couldn't actually see herself loving him. Every time he asked her out, she always politely refused while hoping maybe this time he would take the hint. She felt bad for doing it but it was better to be honest than to lie or give him the false impression that she was interested in him like that.

Slowly, she pivoted around to face him again, her fingers rubbing at her bag strap nervously. "Actually, Lee-san," she began quietly. "Sorry… I can't. I already made plans tonight. But thanks for asking."

A suspiciously moist look came to his eyes as he nodded slowly, ducking his head down to stare at his feet. "Very well. Please enjoy your evening, Sakura-san."

"You, too, Lee-san." With a final smile and wave, Sakura hurried the rest of her way to her apartment. It was five o'clock now and Kakashi said he was going to be there at five-thirty… which meant six at the earliest in Hatake Time. That gave her a little under an hour to shower, change and pick out a book neither she nor Ino liked for the switch. And then… she just had to remember to keep her head when he was kissing her in order to follow through.

* * *

Lee felt his breath catch and a cold sensation ran through his body at the sight of her leaving. It was painful to watch his special person hurry off to meet his rival in love for a romantic evening together. Haruno Sakura was the epitome of youthly beauty to him, a fresh blossom of womanhood. She was the one he cherished above his own life. And yet… it was not his side that she chose to stand by. Oh, the cruelty of love denied!

A tight, aching sensation spread through his chest and a queasy feeling came to his stomach as her lovely pink hair finally disappeared from view. When? When was he going to be ready to prove himself to Sakura? He'd been working harder than he ever had before, learning techniques of a dishonorable nature in order to help her any way that he could. Yes, Kakashi-sensei was strong enough to give Gai-sensei a hard fight… but surely he was _almost _ready to face him. He _had_ to be! To watch the blossom of his heart shower her love on another… it was disheartening.

Lee's fists curled tightly and a determined glint flashed through his dark eyes. No… he would _not_ think like that! He had to stay positive. If he could steal Kakashi-sensei's book then surely Sakura would be proud to be seen with him. He had to do this, to show her he was a man worthy of her affection.

And he would do it tonight. He could not wait a moment longer to show Sakura that he _was _a man now. Gai-sensei said he wasn't ready… but he couldn't bear the thought of Sakura showing such tender attention to another any longer. As he hurried through the streets back to his own house, he ran through the mental checklist of things he would need in order to be successful. He knew Gai-sensei would be upset with him and he would beg forgiveness from his mentor as soon as possible. But for now… he would set the plan in motion and hopefully win the heart of the girl who already had his!

* * *

"… and with the chuunin exams being hosted in Suna this year, we will be having officials from our ally frequenting the village. This means we have to tighten our security measures, not just for the protection of the Suna officials but for Konoha as well. We may be friends with Suna but they are still a rival village. We can't have them stealing off our secrets," Tsunade continued as Shizune began passing out scrolls to everyone present.

Shizune smiled warmly at Kakashi as she handed him a scroll, a smile he didn't bother to reciprocate. He took the scroll from her with a soft, reluctant sigh and glanced at the clock again. Five-thirty-three. Shit, he was going to be extremely late picking Sakura up. It wasn't like he could get a message to her either, seeing as he was in the middle of a meeting concerning security for impending arrival of visitors from Suna. Passing notes during a security debriefing was considered a big no-no.

Normally, he wouldn't have cared so much if he was running late, but tonight was a little different. She'd reminded him yesterday that, as of today, they'd been dating for almost one month. It was hard to believe at first, but he didn't question her on the fact. At least she'd been kind enough to remind him in advance as opposed to simply hoping he would remember and then getting mad at him when he didn't. He knew a few women like that and it was beyond irritating, to say the least.

One month _already_? Time really did fly when you were having fun, it seemed. And he _was_ having fun, far more than he'd thought he would have. Haruno Sakura was a very unique and intriguing girl. She was terrifically smart (which he'd always known), sweet when she wasn't giving him hell and _definitely_ a fast learner. It was almost unnerving how well she'd picked up on the art of kissing. That last one… Kakashi quickly cut off the instant replay before it could go much farther. It would be embarrassing if people thought he got hard over security meetings.

"Inside these scrolls are the names, ranks and photographs of the Sand ninja we are expecting in two weeks," the Hokage continued to explain, speaking loud enough to be heard in a room crammed with jounin. "These are the _only_ ninja from Suna allowed within our walls. Along with each description are a safety question and its appropriate response. The Kazekage and I decided that this was a necessary measure to prevent anyone sneaking in with a Henge no Jutsu. The Suna delegates know only _their_ specific answer and question. Should you ask the wrong question to the wrong Sand ninja and receive a correct response, that person is to be arrested on the spot and treated as a hostile force until proven otherwise. Yes, Chiichi?"

"What if we get the right response but we still think something isn't right?" the jounin addressed asked in a low, deep voice.

"Do as you would in the field; go with your gut. If you think something's amiss, then act on it. Chances are if it's the correct Sand Nin they'll go along with you peacefully. The only reason for them to resist whatever precautionary measures you deem necessary is if they're a spy."

"Or if they're acting like a typical Suna Nin; all arrogance and bad attitude," someone called from near the back. The few chuckles the comment produced were killed dead by the icy glare Tsunade directed around the room.

"Let me reiterate this for those of you who didn't catch it the first time," she bit out in a tone of voice that made Kakashi's blood run cold, even if it wasn't being directed specifically at him. "Suna is a _friend_ to Konoha. They _will_ be treated with respect. Remember you're not only representing your village but your Hokage as well. And I do _not_ take kindly to being embarrassed. Any complaints made by the Suna delegation will be handled by me personally. Is that in any way unclear?"

There was a general murmur of, "yes, Hokage-sama," throughout the room. Kakashi sighed under his breath and gave his head the barest of shakes. The war had been over for many years, and yet the hostilities still lingered. He couldn't completely say he faulted the man for that though. After all, Suna had killed quite a few Leaf shinobi during the war. It was hard to go from viewing them as enemies to viewing them as allies. He just wished the man wouldn't choose to share those views _now_. The meeting had already run much longer than the missive had said and he had a pretty girl he was trying to get to.

"Now, as for the chuunin exams themselves… a new policy is being implemented to insure that none of the instructors are putting unnecessary pressure onto their genin to take the exam. In addition to the team leader's nomination, all candidates _must_ be reviewed by two members of the selected screening panel. The jounin on this panel were chosen by myself and the Counsel to make very certain Konoha not only sends its best but its most capable as well."

"And who exactly is on the screening panel?" someone asked from the far side of the room.

Tsunade's lips curved into a small, wry smile as she said, "Everyone, look at your scrolls. Those of you with a blue seal were chosen to act as screeners."

The rustle of paper filled the room as everyone quickly checked to see whether they'd been tagged or not. Kakashi pulled his scroll out again… and groaned in defeat when he spotted the blue seal. He felt someone watching him and slowly looked up to find the steady amber eyes of the Hokage pinned on him. Oh, yes… there was absolutely no doubt that she'd had a _very_ heavy hand in his nomination for the task. How lovely.

As soon as the disappointed groans and soft cries of success died down, Tsunade carried on with the meeting. "The chuunin exams are scheduled to take place next month. As you all know, my attendance is mandatory for this. Seeing as Konoha will be without its Hokage for a minimum of twelve days, I will be electing an interim Hokage for that time. If anyone wishes to suggest someone for consideration, you're free to do so. However, understand that the final say on this matter is mine. Any questions?" Silence descended upon those gathered, one that was punctuated by the anxious scuffing of feet. Closing her eyes, Tsunade said the word everyone was waiting to hear: "Dismissed."

There was a rush of bodies for the door, some muttering in annoyance over having been selected for the screening process while others laughed in relief at having _not _been chosen. Kakashi was just two steps away from freedom when someone tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Damn it… he'd been so close! Turning with the intent of telling whoever it was to shove off, he ended up lifting an inquiring brow instead when he noticed it was Shizune. The dark haired woman gave him an apologetic little bow as she said, "The Hokage has requested that you remain for a few minutes, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi cast a wistful glance at the door before nodding. "Of course. Thanks, Shizune-san." Great… he'd been hoping to get in a quick shower before meeting up with her.

Shizune smiled and moved past him to follow the last of the jounin out the door. As soon as the room was clear and the door had clicked shut, Kakashi moved until he was standing directly in front of the Hokage's desk and met the woman's gaze steadily. "You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" he asked, keeping his voice politely bland.

"Have a seat, Kakashi. We need to have a little chat," Tsunade answered, indicating one of the chairs with her hand.

Kakashi did as she'd asked, though he kept a cautious eye on her in case he needed to make a run for it. She didn't _look_ angry… but that didn't mean she wouldn't get angry if he said the wrong thing.

Tsunade placed her elbows on the desk and steepled her fingers together, her eyes watching him just as closely as he was her. "I'm sure you're wondering why you've been selected as a screener."

"I have a couple ideas as to why," he replied slowly. It was either because he had a good track record for weeding out unsuitable candidates… or else Tsunade was torturing him for dating her apprentice. Either scenario was perfectly plausible, though neither were particularly pleasing.

"I wasn't the one to mention your name, though if it hadn't come up I would have," she explained. "It was actually Shizune who suggested you be assigned the task. The Elders were against it initially, seeing as the missions you're typically assigned to bring in a tidy sum for the village, but Shizune put up a very good argument in favor of it."

He nodded but refrained from saying anything. Honestly, he was a little surprised it was Shizune responsible for the deed. He hadn't expected her to be quite as vindictive as her mentor.

Sighing, Tsunade lounged back in her chair, her green nails tapping along the arm idly. "Her reasoning was sound, Kakashi. You have a good eye for spotting talent. No pun intended."

"Thank goodness."

"However… it'd be a lie to say the nomination was completely unbiased."

"So, you're removing me from active mission status to give the genin teams a once over," he concluded quietly. He wasn't surprised, nor was he particularly upset over the confession. "Does this have anything to do with my relationship with Sakura?"

Tsunade didn't so much as twitch a muscle at his statement. She was being careful, he realized, not to do anything that could end up biting her at a later point in time. "Shizune will be running things while I'm away," she added.

Kakashi nodded, a bit of surprise coming with that announcement. It wasn't that he doubted Shizune's ability to act as Hokage, merely that he'd never heard her name mentioned in conjunction with it before. Actually, now that he thought about it, Shizune would probably make a very good Hokage.

"Between you and me, you were my first pick… but you'd make an awful mess of my paperwork and would more than likely drink my sake reserves dry. Besides, you're going to be busy around that time anyway."

"Oh?"

An envelope was slid across the desk to him. Kakashi took it and removed the letter from inside curiously.

_Dearest Wife,_

_Sorry it's been a while. The kid and I have been keeping busy, what with that snake problem. It's the time of year for them to be going underground, so finding them hasn't been easy. Don't worry; I'll hopefully have it solved in two weeks. And no, I haven't told the kid that snakes burrow. No need to send him into a frenzy, eh?_

_It looks like rain right now, but who knows? Tracking the weather is never exact. All I know is that the weather will definitely not be good for those pesky snakes, haha!_

_If business goes well, the boy and I will be home in about two weeks. I can't wait to sample your bounty again!_

_With All My Heart_

Kakashi read the note through once more before meeting Tsunade's gaze over the upper edge. "When did this come in?" he asked softly as a combination of shock and awe coursed through him. If he was reading this correctly, not only did Jiraiya have a good idea as to where Orochimaru was hiding but he was also going to be in Konoha soon… with Naruto. It was relieving beyond words to hear that loud mouthed brat was doing well, especially since most of the updates hadn't been shared with him over the last two years.

Tsunade's eyes were gleaming with delight at his reaction as she replied, "It came in two days ago and is dated for five days before that. That means sometime next week… they'll be home. Kakashi, I know there's no way I can stop the three of you from trying to rescue Sasuke and I'm not going to even try. However, I want you to promise me one thing before you do."

"And what's that, Hokage-sama?"

"I want you to test both Naruto _and _Sakura, to make certain they're fully capable of handling what's waiting for them. If they aren't ready… I don't care how you do it, but don't let them go."

"Understood."

Tsunade took the letter when he handed it back to her, her eyes narrowing in thought as she glanced over the contents again. Kakashi waited quietly for her to continue. He could understand why she looked worried. If he read that correctly, it sounded as if Rain Country was tied into this, most likely having something to do with Akatsuki. And that weather comment… it suggested perhaps Akatsuki and Orochimaru weren't exactly on friendly terms. That could be very useful in the future. Pitting one enemy against the other was usually a very sound strategy.

The Hokage sighed and opened the top drawer of her desk to pull out a small jar of sake and a cup. She held a second cup in question to him, which he declined with a small wave. Snorting, Tsunade returned it to her drawer and muttered, "How rude, not having a celebratory drink with me."

Kakashi chuckled at the joke and stood up, bowing respectfully to the woman behind the desk. "Normally, Tsunade-sama, I'd join you, but I can't tonight."

"Oh? Have a hot date, do you?" the older woman purred knowingly, an amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Your choice of words, not mine." He agreed with her assessment, though there wasn't a chance in hell he was going to say that out loud. Something told him Tsunade wouldn't take kindly to him telling her just how attractive her apprentice was.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and tipped back her sake in one go. "Fine, fine," she grumbled, shooing him toward the door with a wave of her hand. "I can tell when someone's in a rush to leave. Before you go, though, I need to ask you one more favor."

"And that is?"

"Don't tell Sakura about Naruto."

He froze, a frown coming to his lips at the unexpected request. Nodding slowly, he murmured, "Very well. I won't tell her." With that, he left the Hokage's office, still feeling as if he'd suffered a blow to the head. After two and a half years away… It was going to be interesting to see just how much Naruto had changed. Hopefully, the rambunctious boy had matured a bit under Jiraiya's care. Because if he hadn't… telling Naruto that he and Sakura were now dating was going to be a nightmare.

Sighing, Kakashi set aside that concern for the time being and hurried down the steps of the administration building. He had to move quickly in order to meet Sakura in a fairly timely manner. Or as timely as one could get after being tied up in a meeting with seemingly no end. Rooftop travel was out of the question since it was the time of evening where people would be having dinner. Most civilians tended to frown upon having their meals interrupted by random ninja running across their roofs. So, that left one option; transportation jutsu.

Kakashi was only half way through the needed seals when a sudden blur of movement went ripping by behind his back. What the hell… He followed the after image of the figure in black as it sped away, confused as to what was so important that a person had to run _that_ fast. Whoever it was came damned close to taking him out, too. In fact, they'd been close enough to graze his hip in passing, which was… wait… no… oh, _hell no!_ Kakashi practically ripped his pouch from his belt in order to rummage inside it frantically. A small, choked gasp managed to squeeze out of his suddenly tight throat as a feeling of lightheadedness came over him.

Gone… _Icha Icha Violence_ was gone. That son of a bitch had stolen his book.

He was off after the thief in the next instant, whipping down the street at the same breakneck speed he'd been complaining about only moments before. People were diving out of his way left and right, their terrified faces nothing more than blurs as he raced by. He wound and zigzagged his way through the maze of streets, his pouch clutched in one hand and a malicious gleam in his eye.

The idea that this was Sakura's big move came to mind. He'd been expecting her to do something for the last couple weeks, but so far she hadn't. This didn't seem like the sort of thing she would do, though. The whole thing felt very desperate and unplanned. That wasn't like Sakura at all. She was a planner, an organizer. She wouldn't just make a grab for his books and _not_ have a better exit strategy than to run as quickly as possible.

He stuck with the thief for every duck, hairpin turn and switchback they took, never once letting them out of his sight. Down side streets, dodging through the busy market district, cutting through private gardens… wherever his target went, he was right behind. When the person switched to the rooftops, he did as well, leaping easily between buildings and over power lines in his haste to catch up. But for as hard as he pushed himself to go faster, the thief was faster still. Damn it… they were getting away!

It was time to put an end to this.

Without once breaking pace, Kakashi whipped out the summoning scroll from his vest and activated it as quickly as possible. There was a series of poofing sounds from behind him, followed immediately by the fierce barking of dogs on the hunt. He could hear their claws scrabbling on the rooftops as they too broke out running, catching up to him in a matter of seconds.

"What's goin' on?" Pakkun shouted from Kakashi's ankles.

"No time to explain," Kakashi called back as he made the jump for the next rooftop. "Pakkun, you and Anu find Sakura. Tell her I'm running late and stay with her until I arrive." In the event that this actually did have anything to do with her, he wanted to have his dogs there in case the thief showed up to make the drop.

"Right!" The two dogs in question disappeared in a puff of grayish blue smoke instantly.

"The rest of you… get my damn book back!"

The ninken broke away from him immediately, barking loudly in pursuit of the speeding target. Kakashi maintained pace, keeping the dogs in sight as they rapidly gained ground on their prey. There wasn't a person alive who could escape his dogs, he was confident of that.

And when they _did_ finally corner their target… the person behind the theft had better pray that there was no damage done to _Icha Icha Violence_ or there would be some severe hell to pay.

* * *

Damn it… where the hell was Kakashi? Yeah, she'd been expecting him to be late, but not _this _late. Sakura let out an irritated puff of breath and scowled at the clock telling her it was now about a quarter after seven. He was almost an hour and a half late and she was _starving!_ Sighing as she pushed up off the couch, she tugged her strapless dress more firmly in place and went into the kitchen to grab a quick snack.

The dress she was wearing actually belonged to Ino. The blonde had purchased it without trying it on and only discovered once she'd gotten it home that there was no way in hell it would ever fit over her breasts. So in a fit of charity, she'd given it to Sakura to wear. Initially, she'd been against the strapless teal dress for the very simple fact that she was afraid it would slip down during the evening. But after the blonde had assured her repeatedly that wouldn't happen (while suggesting she should wear a cute bra just in case it did), she'd finally given in.

Unfortunately, she'd had to take it in a little on top to make it fit… but thankfully Ino had refrained from commenting on that.

The color _did_ look really pretty with her hair, and the silver jewelry Ino let her borrow fit very nicely. Her roommate also loaned her a tube of lip gloss that tasted like a butterscotch sundae. It seemed a little masochistic to her that someone who was on a perpetual diet had a dessert flavored lip gloss, but she wasn't gonna complain about it. Not when it tasted _this good_. She couldn't wait to see what Kakashi thought of it.

There was one thing she wasn't wearing tonight: a hair tie. She'd purposely foregone it for two reasons. First, it was going to be tricky enough picking his pocket while kissing him and with her hands behind his back. She didn't need to complicate it even more by being blindfolded in the process. Second, if Kakashi wanted to kiss her tonight… he'd have to let her see his face to do it. She would essentially being killing two birds with one stone. _If_ he ever got there, that was.

Sakura had just opened one of the cupboards in the kitchen when she heard the telltale poof of smoke the heralded someone appearing in her apartment. _Finally! _She was beginning to wonder if he'd stood her up. "You pervert!" she called teasingly as she slammed the cabinet door shut and headed back for the living room. "You had no idea whether or not I was nak— Oh, hello, Pakkun. Um… who's your friend? And where's Kakashi?"

"He actually told me and Anu to come over here," the pug explained as the larger, yellow dog with a rather unsettling leer began sniffing around her apartment curiously. "Something came up so he's gonna be late."

That made a worried knot form in her stomach. If Kakashi was going to be late because he was a lazy jerk, he wouldn't have bothered sending Pakkun over with some lame excuse about something coming up. It made her think that perhaps something very serious _had_ happened, maybe something to do with the upcoming chuunin exams. Or maybe even… Swallowing hard, Sakura asked softly, "What happened?"

"Somebody went an' stole his book," Pakkun supplied casually as the other dog went and made himself comfortable on the couch. "He's busy trackin' 'em down with the other dogs right now."

"_**WHAT?"**_ Sakura reeled back a step as shock and ire warred inside her. Someone… _stole his book?_ Who would… why would anyone… "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Great… about the _last _thing she needed right now was a rival in her mission to steal _Icha Icha_. Whoever it was, they'd better hope like hell Kakashi catches them and gets his book back. Because if he doesn't and she finds out their identity… pain. They'll be in for lots and lots of pain for messing up her plans.


	19. Riot In Thunder Alley

"What're you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna go find the bastard that stole Kakashi's book," Sakura called over her shoulder to Pakkun as she hastily kicked off the healed shoes she'd been wearing. She stamped her feet down into her boots and double checked to make sure the dress wasn't moving before rushing back into the living room. Even though running through the streets of Konoha in a strapless dress had disaster written all over it, she really didn't have time to change. Not if she expected to intercept the thief before Kakashi did.

This wasn't at all according to her plan… but if she could catch the thief before Kakashi, steal the book from whoever _they_ were, then the blame would fall on some nameless, faceless person and she would be free to use her plan for the _other_ book. But it would only work if she _hurried. _And if she could possibly talk the dogs into helping her track down the other ninken. There was no way she could search the entire village for their chakra signatures, not without depleting her own chakra in the process… and she had a feeling she'd need them in order to make this work.

"Sakura-chan… ya've gotta think this through," Pakkun continued, jumping off the couch to trot after her as she grabbed her gloves and began searching around for her purse. "If you find this guy, Kakashi's gonna be seconds behind him. An' if he finds you in th' area, he's gonna know you're after th' book."

"I know, but that's only if he catches me. Damn it, where the hell is my purse?"

"Is that it on the chair?" the pug supplied with a helpful tilt of his head toward the piece of furniture.

"Yeah, thanks," Sakura replied gratefully as she hurried over and grabbed it, slinging the strap across her chest on her way toward the door. "That's why I need to get going _now_… and I need your help tracking the scent."

Dead silence followed her request, causing her to pause with her hand on the door and adrenaline pounding through her body. "Pakkun?" she asked, arching a brow questioningly as the little dog shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly. This was going to be the hardest part here; talking the two dogs into lending her their noses. She'd broached the subject abruptly because of the limited time they had as well as to hopefully catch them off guard by the request.

It seemed the second part of her reasoning had worked. Both dogs were staring at her like she'd grown a second head. Then, Anu began to snicker as he stretched out more fully across her couch. "Not movin'," he declared, muzzle curling into a smug leer.

"Fine, you can stay here. Pakkun, how about you?" _Please, please, please…_

Pakkun sighed, his head drooping in defeat. But her triumph was short lived as the pug mumbled, "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I like you… but I'm not gonna break contract with Kakashi any more than I already have. If you wanna find this guy, you're gonna have ta do it without me."

"But Pakkun…"

"Can't do it, kid."

Sakura let out a heavy puff of breath as her shoulders sagged forward. Great… just great. Without Pakkun's nose, the chances of her finding the thief before Kakashi were slim to none. Damn it, this was such a good opportunity! If only there was some way she could…

Her eyes widened and hope surged through her once again as a new idea took shape. "Listen Pakkun; what if I promised to give the book to Kakashi as soon as he shows up?"

Pakkun's head quirked to the side and his ears perked up curiously. "What'd be th' point in trackin' down th' thief then?" he asked, peering at her with the sort of shrewd intelligence one normally saw in a human. "It doesn't make sense for you ta find th' guy just to give th' book back to Kakashi."

"No, it makes perfect sense," she continued excitedly, crouching down in front of the little dog. "See, if I help catch the thief and give Kakashi the book, then when I _do_ try and take it he won't suspect me at all. And if you help me find the thief with the full knowledge that I _will_ give Kakashi the book, then you won't be breaking contract with him."

"I dunno...," he hedged, swiping a paw across his flat nose to itch it. "We shouldn't even be talkin' about this at all."

"Why not? I'm not asking you to do anything besides point me in the right direction," Sakura pressed. When Pakkun shifted his gaze away from her to study the floor sullenly, she sighed and added, "Please… I'm just asking you to track the guy down. I promise I won't ever involve you or the other ninken in this any more." She felt really bad asking Pakkun to do this but there was no way she could let an opportunity like this slip away.

Sakura waited anxiously as the pug glanced over to where Anu was sprawled on the couch, her lower lip caught between her teeth while she continued to chant silently for his agreement. This time when he sighed, she knew she'd won. "Okay… we'll do it. But ya've gotta promise to give it back to Kakashi, alright?"

Sakura nodded eagerly and held her hand out for the dog to place his paw on. "I promise that if we catch him I'll give the book to Kakashi as soon as he arrives on the scene," she swore, shaking the tiny paw Pakkun settled on her palm. What the dog didn't know was that 'the book' she would be returning was the gardening tome in her bag, which would be Henge no Jutsu'd to _look_ like _Icha Icha_. Yes, it was sneaky and could maybe be considered taking advantage of Pakkun, but technically… she wasn't breaking her word to him. She just never specified which book she'd be handing over.

Grunting in reluctant acceptance, the pug waddled toward the door and called over his shoulder, "C'mon, Anu. We're goin'."

Anu was off the couch in an instant, though judging by the look in his eyes he wasn't happy about doing so. "Yer so mean, Pakkun," he grumbled as the trio left her apartment. "Thassa really comfy dog bed."

Pakkun snorted as he hurried down the stairs alongside Sakura and replied, "Yeah, it is."

"You guys are welcome to sleep there tonight, if you want," Sakura offered solicitously as they exited onto the street. While she didn't relish the idea of dog hair on the couch, at this point it was very, _very_ important to keep these two happy.

"Really?" Anu asked hopefully, his ears twitching upward as he peered at her.

"It's okay by me." Whether it was going to be okay with Ino was a different matter though.

The three of them came to a stop on the sidewalk, Sakura fidgeting anxiously as the two dogs began to sniff the air for the trail. She could feel the faintest pulse of chakra coming from both canines as they tried to feel out where their comrades were, the currents brushing along her skin and making the hairs stand up at the static-like feel. After several minutes of her bouncing on the balls of her feet restlessly, Pakkun's head suddenly snapped upright and before she could even think to ask what was wrong he was running down the sidewalk with Anu right behind him. Yelping in surprise at their sudden movement, Sakura shot off after them, trying desperately to catch up and keep pace.

One thing she learned very quickly while struggling to keep their tails in sight was that Kakashi made this look _soooo_ much easier than it actually was. It gave her a new appreciation for just how fast he actually was to be able to keep pace with the ninken and make it look effortless in the process. Here she was running as fast as she could, fueling chakra into her leg muscles to strengthen them and give her an added boost of speed, and she was just barely able to follow them around sudden curves, up the sides of buildings and diving from rooftop to rooftop. She couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying it would be to have these dogs chasing her down.

Sakura did her best to follow after them, using the motivation of finding the thief before Kakashi as a means of pushing herself harder. Her lungs burned, her sides ached so badly that tears stung her eyes and her legs were throbbing wildly, but she kept running. She just needed to get the thief within range and she knew she could take them out. All she would need was one good hit.

"They're comin' at us due east," Pakkun shouted back at her, skidding to a halt in order to run back and join her while Anu ran on ahead. "Hurry up, Sakura-chan! They're gonna be here any minute!"

"I'm coming!" she wheezed, Pakkun's encouragement helping her to find a reserve of speed she hadn't been aware she possessed. The throbbing of her leg muscles had become so commonplace that she barely noticed it any more than she noticed drawing desperate, panting breaths.

Both she and Pakkun skidded to a halt on the edge of the building they'd just landed on when they heard excited barking coming from the alleyway below. Glancing down, they saw Anu had switched to street level and was barking loudly to get their attention, his body recoiling with each yap. "Target's bein' funneled this way," he shouted. "Moroha an' Jubei're pullin' ahead ta pinch 'im in! Others're right behind 'im!"

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she scanned out over the rooftops, trying to plan the best course of action in a matter of seconds. If the thief took to the roofs, then she was in a perfect position for an ambush. However, it would be a risky move for anyone being pursued to go out into the open, so chances were the thief was sticking to the roads and back alleys in an attempt to avoid detection. Damn it, if she only had a clue as to which direction he was heading…

Her eye caught on a wide stretch of something glittering silvery under the moonlight… and she knew exactly where the thief was going. "Pakkun! The river! They're heading toward the river!"

"Anu, go toward th' water!" Pakkun shouted down to the other dog as he and Sakura took off running across the rooftops toward the pale curve of the Shirakaba River. "If he gets in to th' water, no way we're gonna be able ta track 'im then."

"Then we've gotta beat him—" Her words were cut off as the approaching snarls and growls from dogs that weren't already with her came to her ears. Sakura ventured a glance down and back over her shoulder and caught sight of a dark figure racing through the streets below. And _damn _was he coming up on her fast! This wasn't just some random thief running in terror from the ninken; this was jounin level speed she was seeing here.

Despite the fact her legs were shaking due to the strain and the stitch in her side had returned with insistent force, Sakura grunted and pushed herself to maintain her decreased lead on the target below. She focused on controlling her breath; in through her nose, out through her mouth, calm and collected. This was her chance, if she could keep the lead and ambush him at the last second. Just a little farther and she had him!

* * *

"Kakashi! He's headin' toward th' river!" Bull rumbled over his shoulder without once breaking pace.

Shit! If the bastard made it to the river, the chase was over. Whoever had his book was definitely skilled in avoiding detection; there wasn't a trace of chakra or to track due to the dispersion jutsu they'd used. Only a very select group of people knew how to use that particular jutsu; ANBU operatives who specialized in infiltration. Unfortunately, that field was one of the most popular ones for ANBU recruits to go into, which meant his list of suspects was something like one hundred or so elite ninja.

Whoever the target was, they were very, _very_ good and they'd obviously put more thought into this than he'd initially assumed. They were being careful not to give away their identity through any special techniques, sticking only to standard jutsu and speed to get the job done. If he didn't catch the thief now, chances were more than likely he never would. It was nearly impossible to catch someone from the infiltration units.

Unfortunately for whoever this was… that's what the tracking units specialized in doing. He still had quite a few tricks up his sleeve.

Kakashi increased the pace and overtook the enormous dog, his eye trained on the back of the thief's head intently. "Who's closest to the target right now?" he demanded, leaping easily over a dumpster that had been shoved toward him with brutal force.

"Moroha an' Jubei are almost on him," Bull continued, scrabbling to catch up as Kakashi blew by him. "Don't worry, he's not goin' anywhere!"

"Do we have a scent mark yet?" As much faith as he had in his dogs, on the off chance that the target _did_ manage to get away he wanted to make certain they had the scent down for tracking at a later date.

"Kinda hard ta get a scent offa someone who doesn't have one," Yaku commented dryly as he jumped down from the rooftops to join them, Ikibe coming down on the other side and pulling ahead to join Squint in the middle. "He's scramblin' th' scent up so we can't get a fix on it."

Damn it… That dispersion jutsu had scattered his scent as well. While scent and chakra signature were definitely the easiest way to track someone, they certainly weren't the only means. There _was_ a third alternative, though he really didn't want to employ it. Still though… this was very quickly becoming a matter of pride for him. He would never live it down if he let a thief escape with his beloved book.

Shaking his head in disbelief that he was being forced to do this, Kakashi reached up and tugged the hitae-ate covering his sharingan up. Immediately, one half of his view began to shift and adjust in dizzying disarray, forcing him to close his other eye to counteract the sudden imbalance of view. He could see everything now, right down to the after image blurs of potential movement from the ninken as well as the target. He could also feel the chakra in his body redirecting itself immediately to the exposed sharingan, the eye sucking at his reserves like a leech.

The target was being incredibly careful not to use any distinctive moves that might give away his identity… but that didn't mean his natural movements wouldn't give him away. Everyone was unique in the way their carried themselves. From their posture to the placement of their feet as they ran, a person's physical presence was almost as singular as a fingerprint. It didn't matter how careful the thief was; the sharingan would memorize the way he moved down to the last detail.

Another useful trick of the sharingan was to predict the possible movements of the enemy. That was why when the thief dove unexpectedly to one side Kakashi had plenty of time to swerve into a side alley in order to avoid the sudden explosion of concrete and dirt that erupted out of nowhere. Dust and debris scattered down the alley way from only a few feet away, and it was while he went plunging into that vision impairing cloud of smoke that he realized he wasn't the only one after the thief. There was another chakra signature there… one he recognized too well as belonging to Haruno Sakura.

It took him less than a few seconds to figure out how she'd found them and what she was doing there and even less time than that for his hands to fly through all the seals needed to activate the jutsu. His next step dragged him completely underground and toward Sakura's chakra reading. He may not be able to track the thief… but he was certainly capable of tracking her.

* * *

Lee was panting, his teeth clenched tightly and sweat beading his brow as he raced across rooftops and through the streets. This wasn't at _all_ what was supposed to have happen! He was supposed to steal Kakashi-sensei's book and present it to Sakura as a token of his undying love for her. After all of the training and hard work Gai-sensei had given him… and it was not enough!

He sped as quickly as he could toward the Shirakaba River, heading for the apartment rise along the bank. That was where Gai-sensei lived; fourth flour, dead center and overlooking the park. He had to get there as quickly as possible! Only Gai-sensei would know what to do.

Lee sped up, moving faster than he ever had before while wearing his leg weights, and pushed off the ground into the air with such force that the pavement cracked from the strain. A louder rumble of sound came from further away, sounding very much like an explosion, but Lee paid it no mind as he landed on the correct balcony and very nearly went through the glass door. Tears stinging his eyes, a grimace of frustration twisting across his face, Lee knocked quickly on the balcony door. "Gai-sensei… please be here," he murmured, knocking again when there was no response.

After what felt like an eternity of him knocking, the curtain drew back and the relieving sight of Gai-sensei's face came into view. Immediately, the older man's brows rose in surprise at seeing his student practically in tears on his balcony. The door slid open and suddenly Lee was being pulled inside the private sanctuary of his beloved idol.

"Lee! What happened? What's wrong?" Gai asked as he guided the boy to the bright orange couch on one side of the room. Lee was too busy catching his breath to notice his sensei wave discreetly behind his back at the brunette woman slipping out his front door while still rearranging her dress.

"Sensei, this is terrible!" Lee choked out, his hands curling into tight, shaky fists. "I had planned to take Kakashi-sensei's books tonight—,"

"_What?"_

"— But it did not go as planned," the boy continued, ignoring the older man who had a hand slapped over his eyes and was groaning. "I remembered everything you had taught me and… and…"

"Lee, calm down," Gai said, his voice soothing but carrying an authoritative edge that never failed to gain Lee's undivided attention. "We will address the fact that you didn't listen to me later, but for now I have one question; how far behind is Kakashi? Did you lead him directly here?"

Lee's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he shot a nervous glance out the window, as if the man in question were about to show up on the very same balcony he had only moments before. "I… I do not understand…," he stammered, shaking his head slightly.

Gai placed his hands on his student's shoulders and gave him a light shake. "Just answer the question, Lee; how far behind you is Kakashi?"

"But… why would Kakashi-sensei be behind me?"

Frowning, the older man released Lee's shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest, his thick brows pinched tightly together. "Why else? You attempted to steal his book. If there's one thing I know about my rival it's that he's disturbingly persistent. So, I'll ask you one more time, Lee; where is Kakashi?"

Lee shook his head quickly, his own brows pinching downward in an expression to match his mentor's. "That is what I have been trying to tell you, Gai-sensei. Kakashi-sensei _is not_ chasing me. I was _going_ to attempt retrieving the book tonight… but… Gai-sensei, there is another rival for Sakura-san's heart! He somehow found out about your clever and brilliant plan and used it to steal the book himself! What am I to do now, Gai-sensei? I have _two_ rivals in love!"

To lee's utter surprise, Gai's response was to tip his head back and laugh with wicked delight. "Never fear, Lee," he chuckled, a challenging gleam flickering through his dark eyes. "Maybe it was for the best that this unknown love rival used our plan instead. Upon retrospect, I think perhaps it was beneath your honor to resort to such devious tactics."

"Gai-sensei…?"

"Tomorrow, Lee, we will start on your new plan; confront Kakashi man-to-man in order to prove yourself to the woman you love! Show her that you are his equal and she will undoubtedly shower you with her affections!"

Lee swallowed hard at the idea of ever facing Maito Gai's rival head on… but a determined look settled across his face as he gave one decisive nod. "Yes! I will do it! I will show Sakura-san that I _am_ a man!"

Laughing once again as he gave his prized student a hearty clap on the back, Gai guided Lee toward his door and exclaimed, "_That's_ the proper attitude, Lee! Never give up, no matter the odds! We will begin tomorrow at six just outside the village gates. I will teach you everything I know on how best to defeat my rival!"

"Thank you, Gai-sensei! I look forward to working harder than I ever have before!" the boy cried enthusiastically as his mentor gave him a gentle shove out the door.

"And you most definitely will. I will _personally_ see to it. But for now, Lee… go home and rest up." Gai waited until Lee disappeared down the first flight of steps before letting out a relieved sigh and calling out, "My deepest apologies for the interruption, my beautiful flower, but I couldn't turn away one of my students in their hour of need.

The brunette that had been leaning against the wall two doors down smiled coyly as she walked over to him, putting a sway to her hips that he found difficult not to stare at. "That is just so _sweet_," she purred enticingly before purposely rubbing against him as she entered his apartment once more. "So, Gai-_sensei_… mind helping this poor student in her hour of need?"

Gai arched a brow as he shut his door and flicked the lights out in his living room to give the appearance that he wasn't home. "As they say, a teacher's work is never done."

* * *

Sakura was up and out of the small crater she'd just punched in the sidewalk before the dust cloud could dissipate and was charging after the dark shape she'd seen spin off down a side alley with renewed energy. She was right on top of him now, maneuvering through narrow turns and gaps between the buildings. The combination of their close quarters as well as the maze of power lines overhead made it impossible for the thief to move as fast as he had been. A smile touched her lips as the sure knowledge that she had him funneled through her head.

Her victory was short lived however when they suddenly came bursting out from a particularly tight alleyway and into the open park area near the Shirakaba River. It would seem her opponent new the streets of Konoha better than she did and was taking full advantage of that. Cursing under her breath, Sakura fueled chakra into her legs for added power as she broke into a sprint to close the small gap between them. She was so close now she could hear him panting, see the thin slit in his hood that allowed him to see. Her fist cocked back, chakra coursing through her arm and down into her hand. She was at the perfect angle for the one hit she would need to send this bastard sprawling onto his back. With a loud snarl, she sent her fist whipping toward him, nothing more than a bright slash of pale movement against the night sky.

The thief came to an abrupt halt by fueling chakra into his feet and into the ground, using it as an anchor to pivot low and avoid her fist altogether. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected maneuver and she quickly skidded to a stop as well, the balls of her feet digging deep furrows through the grass and dirt. While her way of slowing down wasn't nearly as impressive as his, it was a hell of a lot safer on her body. She couldn't believe the man was still standing after overloading his muscles with that much chakra.

Apparently, he was feeling some of the effects of sudden rapid chakra infusion because she heard him hiss and saw the faintest wincing at the corners of his eyes. But she didn't hesitate in the least as she pushed off the ground and rushed at him again, this time funneling her chakra into both fists. The thief stood his ground as she raced toward him, crouched low and hands held loose at his sides in a way that reminded her a little of the Hyuuga fighting style.

Her first fist whistled shrilly toward his head and the thief dodged it by bending almost completely backward. He followed the movement through by bracing himself on one hand and swinging a foot toward her chest. Sakura blocked it quickly with her arm and sent her other fist flying toward the inside of his thigh. The thief twisted around in a maneuver that was both impressive as well as graceful, landing on his feet again with his palms open and his eyes following her every move.

Sakura wasted no time in recharging her fists and diving for him again, being careful to aim for his shoulders, arms and legs rather than his torso. All it would take was one solid punch to stop the thief's heart, and she didn't want that. Not when the man was obviously one of Konoha's elite. She swung, he dodged and she continued to press the offensive while he barely raised a defense. It soon became apparent that this was more than just some random jounin she was facing here. This man was top quality shinobi, possibly even ANBU. Not once did he attack her; the speed and flawless precision that he exuded with every feint and dodge was more than enough against her.

She could feel the sweat clinging to her skin as a dull, throbbing ache began to spread through her shoulders and arms due to sustained chakra use. Her attacks were coming slower now and she knew her opponent could tell he was wearing her down. She needed to end this and quickly. Kakashi was going to be there any minute now. Sakura decided the use the knowledge her opponent had on her weakening attacks against him and on the next punch, she pretended to stumble off balance. The thief accommodated for her movement accordingly, twisting his upper body to the side to avoid contact… and leaving the area right above his hip open for a punch that would knock the wind right out of him.

Her fist connected with air and the lack of resistance sent her arm swinging widely, throwing her off balance for real this time. Sakura yelped in surprise when the thief suddenly reappeared in front of her and had only a brief second for panic as his palm slammed hard into her left shoulder, using her forward momentum against her. The moment he made bruising contact, Sakura felt the undeniable shock of foreign chakra forcing its way through her skin to sink into her arm, spreading warmly through her muscles and sending them into a relaxed state. Eyes rounded in shock, Sakura quickly pivoted away from his palm and put a few feet between them, feeding chakra into her numb arm at the same time.

She recognized that technique. It was one commonly used at the hospital on patients whose muscles were severely cramped from overuse. Chakra would be used to penetrate deep into the knotted tissues, to sort of massage them from the inside out. The thief had simply taken that technique and used it offensively to force the tensed muscles in her arm to loosen up, thus making her unable to form a fist to attack. That would mean that the thief was…

Before she could finish the thought, her eyes widened yet again as a deep rumbling sound filled the air. For a moment, she thought it was the thunder of a storm rolling through the area but was muffled, almost as if it were… She yelped when the earth in front of her suddenly heaved upward, exploding in a violent spray of dirt, uprooted daisies and clumps of grass that sent both her and the thief reeling away from it quickly.

Sakura's mouth hung open as a figure exploded out of the ground and immediately threw itself at the thief. She knew instantly that it was Kakashi and her heart sank with the knowledge that she hadn't been quick enough. Pushing to her feet, she raced after the two figures, her eyes barely able to follow the lightning quick attacks as the two faced off. She heard soft grunts from the two every so often, signifying someone had just taken a hit, but no one looked to be going down any time soon.

Kakashi suddenly vanished from view and the thief immediately spun around to block the fist aiming for the base of his spine. The thief launched a kick toward Kakashi's chest, forcing him to duck backward to avoid it. Sakura's eyes widened as the thief's hands began to fly through a series of seals, very carefully maneuvering so that his back was to Kakashi to prevent the sharingan from memorizing the movements. Kakashi sank down into a crouch and pivoted with the thief's rotation with his fist cocked back and ready to strike for the other man's side. He couldn't see the seals. He had no idea that the thief…

"Kakashi!" she screamed as she tore through the distance between her and the fight in a matter of seconds, the chakra all but burning as it coursed through her arms and into her fists. She didn't stop to think about the dangers of getting in the middle of a fight between two high leveled ninja. She didn't even consider that the jutsu the thief was about to activate might be fatal. All that mattered at that moment was the fact that Kakashi could be in very real danger and she was _not_ about to sit by and watch when she could do something about it.

She caught sight of both men gaping at her in shock before her fist opened up and she slammed her palm into the thief's shoulder, shoving her own chakra directly into the muscles covering his shoulder blades and forcing them to contract tightly. A startled look came to the thief's eyes as she used the exact same technique he had used on her… only in reverse. Instead of forcing the muscles to relax, she was purposely knotting them to not only prevent movement but to make it painful if he _tried_ to move. She heard him choke back a curse… and then much to her horror he finished the last seal of the jutsu.

A sudden, violent rush of wind came from out of nowhere, blowing the skirt of her dress up over her head and causing her to quickly grab the billowing fabric and haul down over her exposed panties. Sakura's surprised screech was drowned out by the roaring of the wind as it continued to whip by so brutally that it stung her skin, flinging chunks of grass, earth and flowers at her in its wake. It began to swirl in a controlled pattern, shaping itself into a cyclone that raged around them as it ripped up still more chunks of dirt and grass from the park.

Someone grabbed her shoulder to spin her around and she in turn latched onto their wrist and hauled whoever it was over her shoulder, slamming them into the ground hard. Unfortunately, the assailant managed to take hold her own wrist and used it to jerk her down with him roughly, rolling her underneath his body just as a series of shrill, crackling pops burst inside the miniature tornado surrounding them. Sakura was about to give the man on top of her a good kick to the groin for the hand he had on her ass, but then her eyes started stinging horribly and her next inhale brought an itchy, burning sensation to her throat. The wind suddenly burst outward, whipping through the trees and grass so viciously that it tore leaves from branches and slender stalks from earth.

It didn't take her long to identify the cause of her sudden eye irritation; pepper gas. The thief, in order to escape, had set off explosives with pepper gas in them and was using the wind jutsu as a way of distributing it more quickly. And Kakashi, having guessed what the thief was about to do, had dragged her underneath him to try and shield her from the worst of it.

Any warm feelings his concern for her would have evoked were overshadowed by the fact that the pepper gas was now taking effect and making her cough violently into his shoulder as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. She wanted desperately to rub at her eyes but she knew doing that would only make it worse. So instead she buried her face into the curve of Kakashi's neck to try and filter the smoke from getting to her lungs. She breathed deeply, taking in not only slightly filtered air but the scent of him as well. The smell of sweat and dirt were heavy in her nose but underneath that was a completely different scent, one that was much nicer and all him.

Sakura closed her eyes, partially due to the burning sensation caused by the gas but also to savor the smell of Kakashi. It reminded her a little like rainfall or maybe that early morning aroma of dew on grass. A silly analogy really, but it was all she could think of to describe that crisp, slightly metallic scent. Sakura's arms circled his neck without her realizing it and the next thing she knew she was being hauled to her feet and Kakashi was wheezing in her ear, "Might want to hold your skirt down this time."

Before she could ask him what he meant, she felt his hands moving behind her back… and then she yelped in surprise as yet another burst of wind swept through the area, clearing it of the lingering smoke from the pepper bombs. Sakura quickly took hold of her skirt to keep it from flying up once again and blushed hotly at the knowledge that Kakashi had more than likely caught a glance at her underwear... for the second time in a little over a week. At least he'd given her _some_ warning before whipping out the wind jutsu. That and the fact that he'd tried to get her out of the way were the only reasons why she didn't punch him for sneaking a peek in the middle of a fight.

As soon as the air was clear of smoke, Sakura took a deep breath in and stifled a lingering cough with one hand. "Well, _that_ was fun," she choked as she wandered over to a bench and sat down. "You sure do pick some interesting dates."

Kakashi followed her over, pressing the heel of one hand over his normal eye while tugging the hitae-ate down over the sharingan once more. "And you complain about _my_ sense of humor being warped," he muttered as he dropped into the seat next to her and slouched forward, resting his elbows on his knees and shaking his head dismally.

He didn't so much as look up when Pakkun and Bull came trotting over, the rest of the ninken still sniffing around the fight area for any clue as to who the thief had been. "Ikibe got a face full of that pepper gas an' he's gone to the Inuzuka women ta have 'em sort him out. Moroha an' Jubei are covering th' river in either direction to see if they can catch the guy, seeing as that's the most likely escape route. We're gonna stay here an' see if we can find a scent mark, if that's okay with you."

"Hm? Oh, sure. That's fine, I suppose," Kakashi mumbled absently.

Pakkun remained unmoving for several seconds, simply staring at his summoner. Then, he stretched upward and gave Kakashi's fingers a quick nudge. "We'll get 'im, don't worry about that. 'Kay?"

"Yeah, okay."

The pug paused as he was about to walk away and met Sakura's gaze steadily. It clearly said 'you owe me big time', and Sakura wondered dismally just what it was she'd have to do now to repay the dog for his help. Pakkun and Bull wandered back over to the other dogs and joined in on the search, leaving her alone with a very quiet copy ninja.

Sakura studied his profile uncertainly, something that was made difficult given how swollen and sore her eyes were. She chewed lightly on her lower lip and shifted next to him, not sure what she should do. She didn't need to see his entire face to know that he was dejected. It was obvious in the curve of his shoulders and the tight crease in his brow. Kakashi was really upset about the theft of his book, though she couldn't decide whether it was due to the loss of _Icha Icha _or the blow to his pride. The thought sent a pang of guilt through her either way, for not being able to catch the thief as well as for the fact that she was trying to do the exact same thing. It seemed silly that someone would care so much about pornography… but apparently, he did.

Sighing heavily, she twisted around so that she could sit facing him with one knee positioned by his hip. Kakashi watched her curiously as she opened her purse and pulled out a small bottle of eye drops. "Tip your head back and open both eyes for a moment," she instructed while unscrewing the cap. "I want to flush your eyes out."

"Ah." He complied with her request, slouching against the bench and tipping his head back. He lifted the hitae-ate up once more before folding his hands complacently over his stomach. Sakura moved so that she was now kneeling on the bench seat and leaned over him with the little plastic bottle in one hand.

She squeezed a couple drops into his good eye, grinning when he blinked sharply at the touch of the cool drops hitting his retina. While he swiped at the little bit that managed to escape from the corner of his eye she repeated the process with his sharingan, peering curiously as the tomoe shifted slightly in response. How interesting... She'd never had a chance to really see it this close before and outside of a fight. With the way the eye reacted to eye drops, it made her think that perhaps it was a little hypersensitive, possibly as a result of…

The sound of Kakashi clearing his throat lightly made her snap out of her fascinated study of his eye with a start. Blushing, Sakura quickly put a little space between them under the pretence of applying a few drops to her own aching eyes, sniffling a little as they made contact. She capped the bottle and tossed it back in her purse before dabbing at the moisture clinging to her lower lashes. "Better?"

"Mm… yeah, a bit," Kakashi replied while fixing the material over his sharingan again. "A good thing you came prepared."

Sakura paused in closing her purse and turned slowly to regard him with narrow, wary eyes. Maybe she was reading more into this than there actually was… but it sounded a bit like he was hinting she'd known about the theft beforehand. Deciding it was just her imagination, she smiled and shrugged indifferently. "I started carrying eye drops around when Tsunade-shishou put me down in the poisons lab. We're working with chemicals and toxins all day, and even with safety glasses on you can never be too careful."

Kakashi hummed a sound of agreement as his gaze swept her from head to toe curiously. "That's a very pretty dress," he commented, allowing his eye to linger a little longer on the bare skin of her shoulders.

Her cheeks darkened again at the obvious interest and she self-consciously rubbed a hand down one arm to try and stop the goose bumps from rising. "Thanks," she laughed softly. "It looked much better when it wasn't covered in dirt and I had cuter shoes and my hair wasn't so—"

She stopped dead when she felt his fingers brush through her hair gently, combing through the tangles to tuck a few pieces behind her ear. "Trust me, it still looks good."

A shiver ran down her spine when his fingers slipped lower, tracing along her neck lightly. Her eyes closed briefly at the sensation of his calloused fingertips moving across her skin. "S-So," she stammered as his hand fell away from her shoulder slowly. "What's the plan now?"

"The plan?" Kakashi asked, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, the plan. Are we gonna go after the guy or what?"

Kakashi's eyes creased into a look of amusement, though she got the distinct impression he was anything but. "Well, that'll be very hard to do without something to track."

Sakura's eyes widened a touch as she twisted around to face him once again. "How can there be nothing to track? I mean, the guy _had_ to have a scent! And his chakra—"

"He used a specialized jutsu to scramble his scent and suppressed his chakra right up until the last second. Unfortunately, it was such a quick burst that I didn't have time to pick it up, what with being a little… distracted."

Heat touched her cheeks at the less than subtle hint that _she'd_ been the distraction, though this time it had less to do with embarrassment so much as it did resentment. "Sorry," she mumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "How was _I_ supposed to know you'd come springing out of the ground like that? I thought you were right behind the guy."

"Speaking of which… what in the world possessed you to set off an exploding tag within village limits? It's a miracle we didn't have at least six ANBU squads on our backs for that stunt."

For a moment, Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to recall doing what he'd said she had. She was about to shake her head and deny it… when it dawned on her that the explosion he was talking about was actually from when she'd punched the pavement. Kakashi had no idea that she… Amused at the thought that he didn't know just how strong she'd gotten, Sakura smirked and said, "I did what I thought I had to. After all, the bastard _did_ ruin my night out."

"And you would blow him up for that? Wow… you certainly take the vengeance thing seriously, don't you?"

"Only for things that matter," she laughed, nudging his side playfully. It earned her a little chuckle from him, which in turn made her beam at his profile. She unfolded her arms again and reached out to cover his hand with hers. When Kakashi turned his palm over and twined his fingers with hers, a small flare of warmth coursed through her chest. Even though he was wearing gloves, she could still feel the heat of his skin and the strength in his hands. Inadvertently, her mind flashed back onto their last kiss when he'd cupped her face in his palms and took his time…

Sakura stopped thinking about it immediately as the warmth began to sink lower into her stomach, settling between her legs. In an effort to distract her mind from _other_ thoughts, Sakura asked, "So, about our date… are you still game?"

Kakashi took a slow deep breath and released it steadily as he raked his free hand back through his tussled hair. "Honestly?" he said. "I think I'll take a rain check, if that's okay with you."

Disappointment lanced through her at his words, but she nodded and managed what she hoped was a convincing smile. "I understand. It's okay if you wanna do this some other time. I mean, it's been a long night and it's probably too late to get a table now anyway—"

"No, no it's not that. It's that I don't have any money _to_ go out with."

It took her a moment to process what he'd just said before she shook her head and asked, "Wait… what do you mean you don't have any money?"

The look he gave her was utterly bland, as if he were trying to decide whether she was being particularly dense or making a joke he didn't get. "You might not have noticed, but I _was_ just mugged," he replied dryly, his visible brow lifting slightly.

Wait… wait, wait, _wait!_ Sakura snatched her hand free from his and pressed it to her furrowed brow as confusion pounded through her brain. "Hold on a second," she said tersely as he leaned back more comfortably on the bench. "The thief… stole your _wallet?_"

"That's generally what thieves target when mugging someone," he sighed.

But… that wasn't possible! She knew damn well the only thing that had been stolen was _Icha Icha_. Pakkun had said so. Whatever Kakashi's game was she wasn't buying it. Crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest, she jerked her chin in his direction and said, "I don't believe you."

"Pardon?"

"I said I don't believe you," she repeated. "With as tight as you are about opening your wallet to begin with, there's no way in hell you'd allow someone to _steal_ it from you." He had to be lying. No shinobi in his right mind would ever allow someone to steal their hard earned mission pay. It just wasn't plausible… but why would he lie about something like that?

A vaguely annoyed look flickered across the exposed portion of his face as Kakashi very slowly reached for his belt and undid it. Sakura's eyes narrowed skeptically, her nails tapping an impatient rhythm along the back of the bench. "What re you doing?"

"Offering up proof of my innocence, Prosecutor Haruno," he deadpanned as he removed the belt with its attached pouch and held the items out to her. "Do you do this to all your dates when they tell you they've been robbed?"

"Shut up," she grumbled as she snatched the belt from his hands gruffly. Sakura flicked the snap on the pouch open and spread the canvas material open to peer inside suspiciously. Extra shuriken sleeves… a couple smaller kunai… what looked like a travel sized First Aid kit… and one very familiar red covered book. What the… _Icha Icha Violence was still there? _What the hell was it still doing in his possession?

Sakura blinked in surprise, her mouth falling open and her eyes rounding in disbelief as he took the pouch back from her. "Satisfied?" he asked as he fastened the belt once again and resettled the pouch at his back.

Her mouth opened and closed a couple times but she was unable to formulate any words. _Icha Icha _shouldn't have been there… but there was no denying what her eyes saw. Did that mean… that Pakkun had _lied_ to her? She wanted to believe that maybe he'd just made a mistake, but she knew better than that. Part of her wanted to be furious with the pug, but the more rational side of her reminded her that he was _Kakashi's _summon, not hers. Pakkun's loyalty went first and foremost to Kakashi and it wouldn't be fair if she got mad at him for that.

Realizing that Kakashi was giving her a curious look, Sakura cleared her throat and squeezed out, "Yeah… yeah, ah… I just thought that…" That what, his dog was a dirty liar? That she'd gone and messed up a dry clean only dress for nothing?

Kakashi arched a brow and drawled, "You just thought… what?"

Sakura forced a smile and stood up, shaking her head. "Nothing, it's not important. So... shall we get going? It's a little cold out tonight and since we're _not_ getting dinner I'd like to go home and heat something up."

Chuckling as she rubbed her arms briskly, Kakashi stood as well and tucked his hands in his pockets. "I'm not surprised you're cold. A thong? Really? You don't seem the type."

Her cheeks flared hotly when she caught his gaze flicker downward briefly. The pervert... "It just figures you'd still manage to sneak a peek at my panties in the middle of a skirmish," she muttered.

"Well, I _did_ say I was a little distracted. The little pearls going down the front were especially—"

"Will you cut it out already?" Sakura shoved his shoulder hard, earning her a snicker in return. Ignoring him as he continued to laugh under his breath, she corrected in a mumble, "And those weren't pearls, they were buttons."

"Were they? They looked like pearls to me. Perhaps if I had another look—"

"_No!_" She folded her arms huffily across her chest and glared at a nearby tree. When he hooked a hand around the back of her neck to try and drag her into a hug, she resisted stubbornly. "Anyway, shouldn't you be tracking this guy down now rather than obsessing over my panties?"

Kakashi's eye crinkled happily as he threaded his fingers back through her hair gently. "Is there a rule somewhere stating I can't do both?"

Oh, god… he was the _worst_ sort of pervert! But it was difficult staying angry with him when he was touching her so sweetly and looking at her mouth like it was something delicious he wanted to taste. "So," Sakura said, quickly redirecting her thoughts once again. "How do you catch someone without a scent or chakra?" This time when he applied pressure to the back of her neck, she responded by taking a step closer.

"Very sneakily," he replied while running a hand down her bicep, his knuckles just barely grazing the outer curve of her breast. Sakura was torn between tightening her arms protectively over her breasts and letting them fall away completely to encourage more of that warmth producing touch.

"Wow. It sounds like you really gave this some thought," she deadpanned as she freed a hand to trace over his vest lightly, following the line of the zipper until she reached the tab. She flicked the little metal piece with her fingertip and grinned. "Anything I can do to help with this sneaky plan?"

Kakashi gave a thoughtful hum as he watched her while she continued to play with the zipper on his flak vest. "That depends. Did you notice anything about him when you engaged him?"

"You mean like the fact that he has at least some knowledge in medicinal chakra application?"

Her grin widened as he blinked slowly in surprise. "How do you know that?" he questioned.

Laughing, Sakura poked his chest and said, "Because one of the techniques he used is one that's employed to relax cramped muscles in the hospital. It was a bit crude in execution, which makes me think he's not a fully trained medic. Or he was just in a rush to get out of here."

The next thing she knew, Kakashi was kissing her. The mask was still on and it really only lasted for maybe a handful of seconds, but it was still enough to leave her dizzy and wanting more. Sakura stared dazedly up at him while he beamed at her and murmured, "W-What was that for?"

"For being an incredibly sexy genius," he replied, his eye sparking mischievously as her cheeks burned at the compliment.

"O-Oh," she stammered, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her skirt. "I, ah… thanks."

Kakashi tucked her hair back behind her ear, his fingers lingering a little as they brushed across her warm cheek. "I always knew you were a smart girl," he continued, causing her blush to burn hotter even as his words coaxed a flattered smile from her. "But to make a connection like that… it's impressive."

"Not really," she laughed breathlessly as she shifted just a little closer to him. It was because she was cold and he was so warm… or at least that's what she what she was telling herself. "I mean, it's something I do everyday so when you look at it like that it—"

She was cut off by his thumb rubbing along her lower lip, causing her breath to catch and her eyes to close. He was leaning toward her again and her lips parted slightly in anticipation for a kiss. It didn't come. Instead, he paused just as she could feel the warming of his breath along her mouth and murmured, "You're right. When you think about it like that, it really wasn't all _that_ impressive."

Kakashi snickered as she shoved him away from her roughly and snapped, "Asshole!" How typical of him to take a really sweet moment and ruin it by opening his damn mouth!

Despite her annoyance though, she still let him take her hand and pull her into a light hug. And she really couldn't help the softening feeling in her chest when he kissed the top of her head and murmured, "At least you're still sexy, right?"

A begrudging smile touched her lips as she pressed her cheek to his chest and replied dryly, "The only reason you didn't take _that_ part back was because you know I'd kick your ass."

"Hmm… maybe I _should_ take it back. That could be fun."

"Masochist."

"Only for you."

Even though they were only teasing each other now, for some reason those last three words made her heart speed up slightly. She was probably reading more into it than there really was, but she was fairly certain she heard a thread of something warmer and more meaningful in his voice. Like maybe she was having just as much an affect on him as he was on her. The thought sent a rush of affection through her and made her fingers curl just a little more into his vest.

Sighing, Kakashi rubbed his hands up her arms briefly before placing them on her shoulders to set her away from him. "Sorry I can't walk you home, but I've got some things to take care of here. If you want, we can do something tomorrow… so long as it's cheap."

Normally, that stipulation would have been a complete turn off but seeing as the man had just been mugged… she could forgive him. Sakura smiled and was about to agree to that when she slapped a hand over her eyes and groaned, "I can't, not tomorrow. Tsunade-sama is having Shizune-san and I stay late to finalize everything for Suna's visit."

"Ah. What about the following day?"

She winced. "That's when Suna is supposed to arrive."

"Hm… and the day after that is the banquet, right?" he mused, tapping his lips thoughtfully with one finger.

Sakura nodded, chewing on her lower lip and sucking off the lingering traces of her butterscotch lip gloss. "Well, you'll be at the banquet too, right? I mean, I'm pretty sure I saw your name on an invitation," she suggested brightly.

"Oh… yes, I seem to recall seeing that in with the mail. I probably won't go."

Disappointed flooded through her at that. Her shoulders drooping just a touch, Sakura gave him her best puppy eyes and asked, "What? Why not?"

"Well," he hedged, a thread of sheepish laughter tinting his voice. "Formal functions… really aren't my thing. And I think there's a good chance I'll be busy that night."

"Doing what?" she demanded dryly, arching a cynical brow at him. "Washing your hair?"

"That or perhaps planning a daring raid on your panty drawer. I haven't decided yet."

"Will you leave my panties alone for _one _minute?" she seethed. And when his eyebrow rose nearly to his hair line as he cleared his throat, she realized what exactly she'd just said and covered her bright red face with both hands. Dear god… why? Why was she always putting her foot in her mouth around him? And especially in ways that fed to his perversion? She moaned and dropped her hands from her face, shaking her head while he very kindly tried to mask his laughter by turning it into a cough. "I'm going home now."

"Okay. Goodnight, Sakura." He bent and pressed a quick, affectionate kiss to her lips, one she managed to reciprocate despite the fact that she was still reeling from what she'd just blurted out. Mumbling a half hearted goodnight in return, Sakura turned her back on him and started off toward her apartment again.

So… tonight was certainly one of the most unusual ones of her life. First, the plans for a nice evening out were ruined. Then, she somehow managed to go through an entire fight without her strapless dress slipping down (a miracle, for sure) though she _did_ manage to get her skirt blown over her head. Kakashi had now seen her panties three times, none of which he was directly responsible for. Oh, and mustn't leave out the fact that she'd all but shouted for the world to hear (or, more accurately, whoever happened to be within hearing range) that he couldn't leave her panties alone. All in all… definitely a very weird night.

Well, at least there was one consolation; Kakashi still had _Icha Icha Violence _on his person. That meant her mission was still on. All she could say to that was thank goodness for small blessings. The last thing she needed was to have to track down a thief just to complete her mission. It was relieving to hear that this was a normal theft and _not_ one for the book, if only for the simple fact that it meant her suspicions about Tsunade bringing in some competition were wrong. The mission to seduce Hatake Kakashi and get his _Icha Icha _books was still hers.

A small pang of sadness moved through her as she once again realized that this was only a mission. She was really going to miss this— the dates, the easy banter, the physical closeness… him. Kakashi wasn't at all the sort of man she'd ever imagined she would enjoy dating. He didn't do any of the typical things she'd thought a normal date would do, like rushing to open doors or offering to pay all the time. But while he was fairly atypical as far as men went, he was definitely sweet in his own right. It was the little things he did that made him endearing, such as walking her home from work or leaving coffee with the doorman at her apartment for her after being out late.

Or when he'd returned the Tupperware container she'd put his cookies in with a single daffodil and a note saying the '_treatment plan worked, no more stars'_.

Ino had gone on and on about the implications of a single daffodil, wondering whether it was meant to say _'you're the only one'_ or _'misfortune'_. Knowing Kakashi, he probably had no clue that certain flowers meant certain things. He more than likely just saw it in someone's flower box, thought it looked nice and stuck it in the container. Sakura hadn't much cared about finding the hidden meaning in his flower selection or the fact that daffodils didn't keep well. She'd been too caught up in the fact that it'd been a very nice surprise.

Yeah… she was definitely going to miss him. She was going to miss hearing his quiet laugh and his relentless teasing, the way he would brush her hair back and how sometimes all he had to do was look at her a certain way to make her want to kiss him. She was going to miss the way her breath would catch at the end of their date, moments before he'd rob her of breath completely by kissing her.

It made a heavy feeling settle in the pit of her stomach to think this would all end, but there really was no other way for it to. Once Kakashi found out the real reason she'd been dating him, there wasn't a chance in hell he would ever consider staying on with her. How could she expect otherwise, seeing as she'd been getting close to him to steal his books? She knew _she_ wouldn't be very forgiving if he were using her like that. It was going to be tough letting him go, but for now he was with her and she was happy with that. It was better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all… right?

* * *

Kakashi was a little relieved Sakura decided to go home rather than push her involvement any further. As much as he enjoyed having her around, he needed to think and having her there asking him questions wasn't exactly conducive to that. A high ranked jounin or ANBU infiltration operative with a basic understanding of medicinal chakra application and a stolen copy of _Icha Icha Violence _was on the loose and he had to find them.

He couldn't say for certain whether or not he would have been successful in subduing the thief were it not for Sakura's intervention, but there was no denying that her arrival on the scene was just a little too… convenient. She'd known someone had successfully snatched his book and he knew for a fact that Pakkun had been the one to spill that information to her. He didn't think the pug acted out of malicious intent or to purposely betray him… but even so, Kakashi couldn't allow for that alliance to remain intact.

That was why he'd very quickly used a Henge no Jutsu on his wallet to make it look like he still had _Icha Icha Violence_. He'd purposely told her he didn't have his wallet in the hopes that she'd take the bait and present him with an opportunity to 'prove it'—which she thankfully did. By letting her think that his book was still safely in his possession, it ensured that she wouldn't deviate from her plans and also (hopefully) put a thread of doubt in her mind as to how reliable Pakkun really was.

It was a shame that he couldn't find the thief as easily as he could break up this budding alliance. The thief had certainly done a very thorough job of covering his tracks, but Kakashi had three things working in his favor; patience, the sharingan… and the small bit of blood he'd wiped across the thief's clothing from the cut used to summon the ninken. He already had an idea of his suspect profile to work off of, so it was a simple matter of biding his time, observing and waiting to see what the ninken turned up.

And when he _did_ find the culprit… he'd make damn sure they didn't look at an _Icha Icha _book ever again without whimpering. To take a man's porn from him was an unforgiveable offense.

On a more positive note, at least one mystery was cleared up; he now knew without a doubt that she was after his books. He'd been operating under that assumption since the coin toss, but now he had undeniable proof of it. The only two questions that remained were who had put her up to this… and what did _they _want with his book? Due to the fact that she'd tried to stop the theft (he still couldn't believe she'd set off an explosive inside the village), he was almost positive she wasn't connected with it at all. The only reasons that made sense for her to intervene were to either try stealing the book herself or to keep the book from being stolen so that she could take it later.

There was also the possibility that she _was_ in league with the thief and had only given chase to make herself look innocent before going home to wait for the drop… but that was a little too Machiavellian for Sakura. That was more like something _he_ would do, not her.

In a way, it made him a little sad that now he knew for certain what her objective was. He couldn't deny that there was a small part of him that had thought perhaps she was genuinely interested in him… but that was a foolish notion to hang on to. Sakura was far too young for him— too happy and hopeful and _definitely_ too clean for him. He knew that and on some level he was certain she knew that as well. The only reason she looked his way to begin with was because someone put her up to it. Simple as that.

And yet… whenever she _did _look at him, the emotion was so sincere that he believed it. She wasn't that good an actress that she could lie with her eyes. That level of lying took years to cultivate and perfect. It took being put in a position where the slightest misstep meant having your throat cut. Sakura had never been in that position before and she certainly didn't have the years needed to perfect that particular skill. But that would mean that all those warm, affectionate glances she would give him across a table and all the heated, eager ones right before he kissed her were real.

Kakashi shook his head slightly and shoved those thoughts aside irritably. Chances were he was just reading too much into this. Again. Strange how she could make him overanalyze something as straightforward as this. More than likely, the emotions _were _real and were brought on by the fact that he was striving for just that very thing. After all, he did have a second objective here; to show her how thin the line could become for seduction missions. That was why he'd arranged for some of their more unique dates, in order to not only sweep her off her feet but knock her onto her back and—

Okay. That was as far as _that_ thought was going. He didn't need to think about Sakura on her back. At least no more so than his dirty imagination already was.

Kakashi headed over to where the dogs were still searching and called, "Any luck with that blood trace yet?"

"Still workin' on it," Pakkun mumbled distractedly as he snuffled at the ground. "Squint thought he caught somethin' earlier but turns out it was just a blood drop on th' ground."

"Did he search around it anyway just to make sure?"

Pakkun paused and lifted his head slowly to pin Kakashi with a dull, annoyed stare. "Yeah, he did. We _do_ know how to do our job."

"Mm… just checking. You never know when a refresher course on a ninken's _job_ is in order," he replied coolly. He wasn't going to call Pakkun out in front of the rest of the pack, but he was letting the small dog know that he was very aware of what had happened tonight and wasn't happy about it.

The pug shifted from one paw to the other slightly and his ears lost a bit of their perkiness. "I guess we're gonna have a talk, huh?"

"Yes, I'd say that's a safe guess. If you find the target, don't move in. Summon me and we'll take it from there."

"Sure thing."

"And when you get a chance, cut loose and come over to my place. We need to set some new rules. For everyone."

"… Yeah, okay."

Kakashi took one last survey of the area and the searching dogs before shaking his head and releasing a heavy sigh. He tucked his hands into his pockets and headed off in the direction of his own place. There really wasn't much he could do at the moment, so it made sense to go home, shower, cook some instant soup and strategize in solitude for the rest of the night. Hopefully, the ninken would find that blood trace he'd put on the thief, providing the pepper bomb hadn't destroyed it completely.

So, to sum up the night: he didn't get a date, he was mugged for porn, his dog was fraternizing with the opposition and he'd discovered Sakura occasionally wore thongs. A green satin thong with little buttons down the front, to be exact. With something that fancy, he knew there had to be a strapless bra to match. His cock twitched in interest as his mind fantasized about seeing that rich green color against her pale skin, preferably while she was stretched out on cool, white sheets with her hair fanned across the pillow… and now he was hard. And there were still twelve blocks until he reached his apartment. That would be twelve blocks of walking the streets with a noticeable bulge in his pants.

Sighing again as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and did the seals for a transportation jutsu, Kakashi muttered, "What a fucked up evening."

* * *

Genma landed on the fire escape to his and Shizune's apartment soundlessly and very quickly opened the window to slip inside their bedroom. He hissed when his shoulder hit the wooden frame and was still cursing roundly under his breath as he slid the glass in place again and limped to the bathroom. The light clicked on and he kicked the door closed before sinking down onto the closed toilet lid with a grateful sigh. After taking a few moments to catch his breath while his shoulder and arm continued to pulse painfully, he stripped the hood and mask from his head and pulled _Icha Icha Violence_ from inside his shirt to place on the edge of the sink.

Son of a bitch… he'd been fully prepared to face off with Kakashi but had he known the bastard would get his she-demon involved, he would have said fuck it and stayed home alone to watch porn until Shizune finished up with the Hokage. _Goddamn,_ did Sakura do a number on his shoulder! It hurt enough that it drowned out the pain in his knee from where her stupid asshole boyfriend went and kicked him.

Groaning in agony, Genma pressed a hand to his shoulder and pushed chakra into his muscles to try and loosen some of the tightness. There wasn't a chance in hell he'd be able to undo all the knotting completely; he wasn't _that_ good with the medical jutsu. But having a medic for a lover meant he'd learned a few tricks over the course of their relationship. He could at least undo enough of it that it didn't burn like the fucking fires of hell were contained in his flesh. He'd have Shizune fix it up the rest of the way when she came home, and if she asked questions… well, he'd just blame his horrible students on it.

At least the smarmy little brats were good for something. Besides torturing, of course.

When the painful scrunching of his muscles eased enough that he could clench and unclench his hand with only a brief flare of pain, Genma rolled his pant leg up to take a look at his knee. Already, the flesh was a swollen, discolored mottling of purple and red that extended down his calf a little way. He supposed he should consider himself lucky Kakashi had only been trying to take him down and not cause permanent injury. Tentatively, he bent and straightened his leg to see just how badly it actually hurt. It was definitely stiff and putting pressure on it was gonna be a bitch… but he could just ice it for now. It didn't require immediate attention like his damn shoulder did.

Sighing as he used the towel bar across the way to pull himself to his feet, Genma began stripping off his gear. His undershirt and shirt hit the floor, followed by the full length ANBU gloves and the black bindings from around his ankles. It'd been years since he'd had to use any of the gear from his days in the infiltration units and he'd been very pleased to discover that he still fit in most of it.

Genma paused in undoing his pants to take a good look at his torso for any telltale signs that he'd been in a fight. He frowned when he noticed a deep bruise on his side from where Kakashi's elbow had made contact. He pressed his hand over the tender spot and applied just enough chakra to it to remove the deeper coloring. When he pulled his hand away, it was the yellow-grey color of an old bruise. Nothing that would make Shizune suspicious.

He systematically repeated that process over the other spots on his body that were the result of tonight's fight until he was positive there was nothing to tip his very observant lover off that there was more to his shoulder and knee injury than a bad training session with the hell spawn. Genma twisted around as best he could to check out his back and frowned when he noticed a small brown patch, no bigger than a ryo, on his lower back. "What the hell?" he muttered, wrapping a hand around to touch it curiously. It was dry and flaked off his skin as he rubbed it. He examined the bits that still clung to his fingertips and his frown deepened in confusion. This was blood. He was pretty sure no one cut him up…

Genma's eyes widened as he played back a part of the fight where he'd pivoted away and Kakashi had given him a hard shove in the back. He'd thought the copy ninja was only trying to shove him off balance, but what if he'd… "Oh, _fuck!_ Kakashi, you _prick!_"

Because he'd used a diffusion jutsu on his scent to throw the ninken off, Kakashi had marked him with something that was damned near impossible to get rid of; his own blood. Not even the overwhelming scent of pepper would keep the ninken from finding a drop of their summoner's blood.

He wasted no time in stripping down the rest of the way and tossing it all into the bathtub. Yeah, the blood was more than likely just on his shirts… but he wasn't taking any chances, not when it involved Hatake Kakashi and his ninken. Genma shoved the shower curtain out of harm's way before doing the seals for a fire jutsu. Immediately, his clothing went up in flames and he quickly turned on the overhead fan to suck up the smoke wafting from the burning fabric. If Shizune asked why the bathroom smelled like a fire, he'd just tell her he had to light a candle or something. Nasty and embarrassing? Yes. But it would prevent her from asking any further questions.

Genma waited until the flames died down to tiny flickers and smoldering ashes before sliding the curtain in place and cranking on the shower to wash the charred remains down the drain. He grimaced as the ashes and water mixed to form a dull grey sludge that stained the bottom of his bathtub and pulled open the cabinet under the sink to get out the cleaning supplies. "This is such bullshit," he complained out loud as he knelt outside the tub, stark fucking naked, and began scrubbing at the mess. "Now I've gotta replace my ANBU gear, just because _you_ had to go and wipe your goddamn blood off on my shirt. I don't know why I bother doing you any favors or even give a shit about your wellbeing."

Once the bathtub was clean and clear of ashy remains, Genma hopped into the hot spray and began attacking the spot on his back with such force he was certain he scrubbed at least a couple layers of skin away. The room smelled like a combination of soap and fire smoke still, but he was hoping that maybe if he left the fan running for a while it would diffuse a bit more. He tipped his head back into the hot spray and groaned in bliss as the hot water sank into his poor, abused body.

The things he did to help a friend out… If Kakashi wasn't such a hopeless idiot when it came to women, he wouldn't have been forced to steal the damn book! But sadly, as brilliant as he was on a battlefield and during a mission, Hatake Kakashi was probably the dumbest man he knew concerning relationships. The man barely dated and when he did he chose, purposely or subconsciously, women who were so annoying that he never had to worry about it ever getting too personal. The only reason he was considered a long term dater was because he was to fucking lazy to break up with anyone.

He swore someone could do a whole case study on Kakashi's dating habits alone and guarantee themselves a successful career for life.

Genma considered himself to be a pretty observant guy. He had to be in order to be in the ANBU infiltration units. And he'd been using this gift in particular over the last month or so to observe Kakashi's interactions with Sakura. Yeah, he knew what the man had said about seducing her to teach her a lesson, blah, blah, blah. If that was the case though, then why did Kakashi's gaze linger on her even when her attention wasn't on him? And why did he go to such lengths to come up with unique dating experiences when it was obvious a nice dinner out with some flowers would have won her over just as easily? Then there was the fact that Kakashi walked her home after work— every night. The copy ninja could argue that he was simply strengthening his base, but anyone with eyes could see that wasn't necessary. Haruno Sakura was smitten to pieces by Hatake Kakashi.

The reason Kakashi did all those things was because he in turn was smitten by his pink haired target and just didn't want to admit it. Ooooh… the irony of it all was just too perfect. Kakashi was attracted to Sakura. Sakura was attracted to Kakashi. Both were on a mission to take down the other via seduction and neither of them was capable of seeing that they were bit in the ass by their own plan. Add to that the complication that both of them are insanely stubborn individuals and what you get is one giant clusterfuck romance.

A slow, amused smirk tilted one corner of his mouth as Genma massaged shampoo into his hair. Their inability to realize or accept that there was the potential for them to have a really great thing together (or at least some decent sex) was what sparked his involvement in all this. He was a firm believer that everyone deserved a bit of happiness in their lives, ninja perhaps more so than others. Their lives weren't easy by any means. They saw more pain, suffering, blood and death than most civilians ever did. So why would any ninja deny themselves of what makes them happy? Maybe he was being presumptuous in all this… but whenever he saw those two together, they both looked happy. Genuinely and truly _happy._ And for someone as jaded and fucked up as Kakashi, that was a huge, huge, _huge_ deal.

So seeing as there wasn't a chance in hell Kakashi would ever listen to him seriously about all this, Genma decided to take matters into his own hands. The pivotal force behind why Kakashi and Sakura were dating was that she, for some unknown reason, needed to get _Icha Icha _off of him. It was a hunch on his part that the books were her objective, but it was a fifty-fifty one and he was willing to bet on it. So, the way he figured it Sakura's mission wouldn't end until she had _both_ books in her possession, which meant that if an outside source (cue his entry here) were to come by and steal _one_ of the two targets… well, she'd have no choice but to keep seeing Kakashi in the hopes that he caught the thief so that she could get the book from him. And Kakashi would still have to date her because of the lesson he was trying to teach her.

And the more time they spent dating each other, the more time they would have to get over their damned stubborn streaks and just be _happy_ together.

Naturally, as soon as one of them caved in and admitted they were attracted to the other in a more serious way then he'd see to it that _Icha Icha Violence_ was safely returned to its owner. He had it all planned out just how he would do that without having it traced back to him, too. But if they both just let this pass them by… well, he'd have a shiny new edition of pornography for his stash under the bed. One that was in pristine condition and even signed by the author.

Chuckling to himself, Genma shut off the shower and snaked a hand out to grab a towel from the bar. Everything was set. The pieces were in place and now all he had to do was sit back and wait for the game to play itself out. Here was hoping the two key players went along with the plan now.


	20. I've Got To See you Again

Thank you VERY much to Veronika-chan for the incredible fan art! It's of their first maskless kiss and it was AWESOME! Go check it out on deviantart, it's so worth it.

* * *

"Coming!" Ino shouted as she hastily capped her mascara and tossed it into the small clutch purse sitting on the edge of the bathroom sink. She zipped it shut, looped the thin strap around her wrist and hurried into her room to put on her jewelry. Damn it, she should have told Chouji to get her at seven. Yeah, that would have made them a few minutes late for the banquet… but at least _then_ she wouldn't be rushing around and possibly ruining her makeup before she even got there!

The welcoming banquet for the Suna delegation was a very important affair, one that would include ninja and civilians alike. Ino had been ecstatic to learn her father had received an invitation to the event, more so even than her mom. While the Yamanaka clan could date itself back to the founding of the ninja world, it wasn't exactly the most prestigious. They were a smallish clan and fairly new to Konoha, her great-great-grandfather having been the first one recorded in the population census.

Her dad had been incredibly honored that the Hokage thought him important enough to attend, and Ino had agreed with him on that… until she saw the invitation was for her father plus _one._ All dreams of going to the event were shattered when her father had turned to her mother and said she was going to be the most beautiful woman there.

As happy as she was for her parents, she couldn't help mourning over the fact that her one chance to mingle with the elite for an evening (and hopefully impress a couple of hot, young heirs while she was at it) wasn't going to happen. She was happy that her parents would have this opportunity, but that didn't mean she wasn't jealous at the same time. Even Sakura was going, and most of her family weren't even ninja. Of course, her invitation was due to the fact that she was the Hokage's apprentice, but still… it wasn't fair that her roommate got to go and she didn't!

However, it seemed this time that luck was on her side and came in the form of Akimichi Chouji. He'd asked her to go two days before the event after listening to her vent for a solid hour about how much she _really_ wanted to go. Apparently, the more prominent clans like the Hyuuga and the Akimichi not only had invitations for the leaders and their spouses but the heirs and a guest as well. He had an extra invitation, one he was offering to her. Shikamaru had been so shocked he'd nearly fallen right off his stool in Ichiraku Ramen.

She'd tried to refuse Chouji's offer. It was very sweet, but she didn't want him wasting it on her… though it'd nearly killed her to say that. But when he insisted it was fine and that he really didn't have anyone else to take, she'd given in and then immediately ditched the boys to shop for a new outfit. Even if she was only going as Chouji's friend, he'd been kind enough to invite her and she had no intention of repaying that by looking like crap. She wanted him to have the hottest date in the room.

Ino growled irritably as she struggled to get the tiny clasps on her strappy sandals to work. "Come on," she muttered, her brow furrowing in concentration. If she ended up scratching her nail polish because of this… She sighed in relief as the minute toggle finally went into the hole of the strap and then she was on her feet and running for the door, her heels clicking sharply on the wooden floor.

She paused at the door to check her dress once more for wrinkles and to carefully pat her hair to make sure it wasn't going to escape from the loopy bun she'd pinned it into. Once satisfied that everything was good, Ino opened the door and greeted her date with a beaming smile. "Hey, Chouji! So… what do you think? Do I look good?" She did a spin to show off her dress and missed it when he gulped hard at the sight of her.

By the time she was facing him again, Chouji's eye were round and his jaw was hanging open in shock. Ino's brow creased slightly in concern as she looked down at her dress once more. She'd thought it was appropriate to wear… yeah, the back dipped incredibly low, but it had a high neck to compensate. Crap, was she going to have to change? Sighing miserably, she gathered the long skirt up and grumbled, "Gimme ten minutes, I'll find something else."

"No!" Chouji said quickly, stopping her before she'd even taken two steps. Ino looked at him over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched questioningly at the dazed expression still on his face. "You look… I don't know."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she demanded, turning around to glare at him. Ino planted her hands on her hips and tapped her foot angrily. If he didn't want those flowers he'd brought shoved up his ass (though it would be a shame to do since it was such a pretty arrangement) he better start explaining himself and quickly!

Chouji's eyes closed and he groaned in exasperation. "I mean I don't know," he repeated, his shoulders slumping dejectedly. "I can't think of a word for it right now."

"Look, if I don't look good just say so and I'll get changed!"

"It's not that," he interrupted just as she was about to stomp over and slam the door in his face. "It's just you look _too_ good, you know? Like I can't think of a good enough word to describe it sort of good."

Ino paused, her hands still on her hips as she regarded him with a slightly softer look. "So," she said slowly, her anger fizzling out at the sight of him standing uncertainly on her doorstep. "What you're trying to say is that I look so good you're speechless?"

Chouji's cheeks pinkened a little as he ventured to meet her gaze nervously. "Yeah… that sounds about right."

Her lips twisted into a quick smile at his admission and she relaxed her affronted stance. Nodding toward the flowers he was still holding, she asked, "Are those for me?"

"Uh… yeah. Sorry, but I got them from another flower shop," he explained with a sheepish little smile as he held them out to her.

She took the small bouquet from him and closed her eyes while sniffing appreciatively at the blossoms. Pale white chrysanthemums accented with freesias, sweet peas and snapdragons. It was obvious he hadn't picked the bouquet for the significance of the flowers. Snapdragons expressed desire, chrysanthemums were a symbol of fidelity, freesia was for friendship and sweet pea represented gentle love. The only two in the bunch that made any sense were the freesia and chrysanthemums. Still though… It was sweet that he'd purchased them for her, even if they _were _from a competitor.

"Come in for a second while I take care of these," she offered as she made her way into the kitchen. Ino bent down and opened a cabinet under the sink to dig out one of the vases she'd brought over from the shop. "Thanks for the flowers, Chouji. They're really pretty."

"Kiba said it'd be stupid to get you flowers since your family owns a flower shop, but Shikamaru said it'd be even stupider to show up with nothing at all," Chouji said as he followed her into the kitchen, looking around as if uncertain if he was allowed in there.

Ino smiled and turned on the tap to put some water in the vase. "Kiba's an idiot. There's not a girl in the world who doesn't like to get flowers. And Shikamaru's not quite as retarded as I thought when it comes to women. You look nice, by the way. Red's a really good color on you."

"Thanks. My… mom kinda picked it out for me."

"Your mom's got good taste," she laughed as she trimmed the ends of the flowers off into a garbage can. "Wanna know a trick for keeping flowers longer?"

Chouji's lips twitched a little, hinting at a smile he was trying to hold back on. "Sure, I guess."

Grinning, Ino opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of citrus soda. She held it up for Chouji to see and snickered at the confused look on his face. "I'm serious. Just a little bit of this stuff and the flowers will keep for at _least _two weeks."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise as she tipped a bit of the soda into the vase. "Really? Wow…"

"Mm-hm. Don't tell anyone I said that though, okay? That's a family secret and I _will_ have to kill you if you share it." Ino flashed him a smile over her shoulder and received an answering one from him. She set the flowers in the middle of the small table, pausing to sniff the blossoms once more, and sighed happily. "Well, ready to go?" she asked as she turned toward her date once again.

Chouji nodded eagerly, his cheeks turning a little pink as he hesitantly offered her his arm. It was a bit of an old-fashioned gesture, but it was cute that he was at least making a good effort to be a decent escort. She looped her arm through his, settling her hand on his forearm, and grabbed her purse as they headed out the door.

* * *

Sakura was so glad she'd opted for the shoes with lower heels rather than the ones Ino had been trying to get her to wear. Granted, they weren't nearly as pretty as the strappy shoes her friend had almost talked her into purchasing… but they were cheaper and definitely a _lot_ more practical, especially seeing as she'd been running around all night. The minute she'd arrived to help out, Tsunade had pulled her aside and told her she had one task for the entire evening; gather information. Whether it was from eavesdropping or because she charmed it out of them, she was to report back with as much information as she could about what was said at the gathering after the banquet. That was when business would be discussed and plans made. As the Hokage, Tsunade wanted to hear _all_ of it and not just for gossiping reasons either. The banquet was the perfect place to make important connections for political maneuvers.

So, here she was wandering around the antechamber that was attached to the banquet hall and trying her best to appear harmless while jumping from conversation to conversation. At all times, she kept an ear open for what was being said around her for anything of interest. It wasn't a particularly hard task to smile and play the part of the Hokage's young, politically inexperienced apprentice, but it was _very_ annoying. There were several times during the evening where she'd opened up and shared her thoughts only to earn patronizing little smiles from her much older listeners and the occasional comment about how nice it was to see a young girl being aware of her world. Meaning, in short, they were writing off whatever she said because she was only sixteen. She was too young to _really_ know what she was talking about.

Even worse than being disregarded were all the perverts and kiss-ups in the room. If they weren't having trouble making eye contact, they were busy trying to get her to 'put in a good word with the Hokage'. She even had one man who was a combination of the two; he actually tried to tuck his business card in the strap of her dress. Fortunately, Shizune had been standing near by and was quick enough to intercept the card with a cheerful smile and thanks. While the dark haired woman continued to distract the man, Sakura had made her escape to the back of the room where there was plenty of wall space and not so many people crowding around.

Her eyes closed briefly as she sagged back against the wall she'd claimed. She didn't know exactly how long she'd been standing there since that incident, but it felt good getting away from politics for a bit. All the voices blurred together, becoming a steady murmur punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter. If she listened hard enough, she could pick out a few individual voices and snippets of the conversations closest to her. Unfortunately, her hearing wasn't as freakishly uncanny as a certain absent jounin's, so it was impossible to hear more than a few words from each discussion without getting closer.

She wished Kakashi were there, and not just because he'd be handy in helping her eavesdrop. Even though he'd already told her he wasn't coming, part of her had sort of hoped he might change his mind. She'd even picked out her dress on the off chance that he _would_ be there. Her mother's eyebrows had gone up at the sight of it but all she'd said was she hoped there was no one with a heart condition at the banquet. Sakura had blushed and laughed at the joke while silently hoping her mom didn't ask any further questions. She wasn't quite sure yet how to inform her parents that not only was she dating a man fourteen years her senior but that he was also her former teacher and technically still listed as her team leader.

Kakashi… What exactly did she feel for him? It was definitely more intense than just a passing crush, but she didn't think 'love' was the right word for it either. They'd only started dating about a month ago. That was _way_ too soon to fall in love with someone… wasn't it? She didn't really know; her experiences in love were limited to Ino's romance novels and Uchiha Sasuke. All she knew was that this was nothing like a romance novel and that Kakashi made her feel things no one else did. Including Sasuke. There was a time where she'd thought what she felt for the Uchiha heir was love. If that was love, then what did it mean when she felt more for Kakashi than she ever did for Sasuke?

There were times during the day where her thoughts would randomly turn toward Kakashi and it made a warm, giddy sensation move through her, almost as if her heart had skipped a beat or she'd held her breath too long. She would think about the way his dark grey eye would brighten a little when he was teasing her and his strong, callused fingers as they traced over her skin and the sound of his breath catching a little right before he kissed her… it made her miss him.

Sighing wistfully, Sakura smoothed her hands down the cool red silk of her skirt and plucked at the bodice to close the peek-a-boo gap in the gathered fabric. There wasn't anyone in the room she was trying to impress anyway, so what was the point? Now she was regretting that she hadn't gone with her mom's more demure choice. It had been the cheaper of the two anyway, so she could have gotten shoes to match rather than—

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a pair of boots came into view, and her heart sped up as her immediate thought was that Kakashi _had_ come after all. But her excitement died quickly when she looked up and didn't see the masked face she'd been hoping for. Genma grinned as he held a cup of fruit punch out to her. "Did you know it's against the law for a beautiful woman to hide herself in a dark corner?" he teased as she took the offered cup from him.

"Is that so?" she murmured, her cheeks flushing at the compliment as she tried not to show her disappointment. At least it was Genma and not a random stranger hitting on her. He was a flirt, but he was harmless.

"It's right next to the law that says any idiot who allows his gorgeous girlfriend to go to one of these things alone will receive a solid ass kicking later." Genma leaned against the wall next to her, crossing his legs at the ankles as he watched the people mingle. "I'm running a special, you know; two kneecaps for the price of one."

Sakura giggled at that and said, "There's a clause stating that any party found guilty of breaking that law was to be exempt from the ass kicking should the aforementioned girlfriend excuse them of attending."

Genma's brow arched and his lips curved into a slow, wicked grin. "Ah… so you're admitting that Kakashi's your boyfriend then?" he purred, his grin widening at the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks. Sakura opened her mouth to immediately protest the implication, but Genma waved a hand to silence her. "I'm teasing you. No need to rip me a new one. In all honesty, whatever you guys wanna call what you are… I think it's good."

Her cheeks flared even brighter and her eyes flickered briefly to the floor before returning to his. "Y-You do?" she asked softly, her fingers twisting in the red silk skirt of her dress. "You don't think it's weird? Him being so much older and all."

He shook his head and the smile he gave her was one of gentle amusement. "No, not really. You're happy, right? That's all that matters then. Everyone's gonna die someday, and for a ninja that someday is a lot sooner. So it only makes sense to enjoy whatever you can out of life. You never know if the next mission you take will be the one that gets your name etched in stone." Genma glanced at her and whatever he saw on her face made his cheeks color a little as he scanned the area around them nervously. "Would you quit looking at me like I just molested you? I don't want Tsunade pounding her way over here to take my head off," he muttered while casually putting a little more distance between them.

"Sorry, but it's just… that made sense," she explained, flushing at the joke as she stared into her untouched fruit punch.

Genma snorted and muttered, "Geeze, don't act so surprised. I don't know what Kakashi's been telling you, but I _do _have my moments of genius."

"No, that's not it at all," Sakura laughed, earning her an answering smirk from the brown haired man. "What I meant was you're right. There's nothing wrong about being happy. But sometimes… it's not that easy."

"It's only difficult if you make it that way, Sakura."

She sighed heavily but didn't respond to that. Genma meant well, but he didn't know the full extent of this particular situation. It was complicated and there was nothing she could really do at this point to make it simpler. She could just forget about the bet and let Tsunade down… or she could tell Kakashi about it and risk losing not only his friendship but his respect as well. Neither option was one she was particularly fond of, but they were the only outcomes she could see. And the more time she spent with Kakashi, the harder it was to accept that it would all eventually end.

Sakura glanced at the man standing silently next to her, studying his profile as he watched the people socializing around them. She could see why Shizune was so fond of him. Underneath the teasing and the flirting was a guy who seemed very sweet and cared a great deal about those close to him. The idea popped into her head that maybe she could confide in him about all this, get his opinion on what she should do, but it was dismissed just as quickly as it had come. Genma was Kakashi's friend, not hers. He wouldn't help her, especially not if he knew the real reason she was dating his friend.

Genma let out a long, groaning sigh as he pushed away from the wall. "Well, I guess I better go see what my woman is up to. Don't want her to think I made a daring escape through the bathroom window or anything."

Sakura arched a brow and smirked. "Were you thinking about doing that or did she catch you in the middle of it?"

A mischievous grin flashed across his face as he answered, "The first. I was just heading out to give it a try when I spotted a lawbreaker that needed correcting. Hey, listen… you two should come over for dinner sometime. Consider it repayment for that night you and Kakashi helped carry me home."

"Oh, that's okay! You don't have to—,"

"It'll be fun, I promise. I'll talk to Shizune about it and she'll give you the details, okay?"

Blushing at the friendly smile he gave her, Sakura nodded and said, "Sure, that sounds great. Thank you."

Satisfied that he'd won, Genma turned his back and flicked a casual wave at her over his shoulder. "See you around, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura watched as he cut quickly through the crowd of people to where Shizune was laughing as she wrote down whatever the man talking to her was saying. The dark haired woman paused when Genma came up behind her and placed a kiss on her cheek, her smile brightening even further at the display of affection. It made her think about Kakashi and just like that her melancholy mood returned full force. She wanted nothing more than to just leave the party and track him down. She couldn't though. Tsunade had assigned her a task and she had to see it through to the end.

Taking a deep breath and fixing a pleasant smile on her face once again, Sakura moved away from the wall and back into the party. Even if she didn't learn anything beyond the usual gossip, it at least would give her something to focus on other than Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi hissed and jerked his hand away sharply to examine the fingertip he'd just stabbed with a quilting needle. A small, bright spot of blood colored his skin, catching on the whorls ever so slightly as he scowled at it. _Twenty-two,_ he thought irritably as he popped his finger into his mouth to stop the bleeding, grimacing a little at the metallic taste on his tongue. He wasn't sure if sucking on a small cut actually worked as a healing method, but it was either that or risk getting blood on Sakura's quilt. Something told him she probably wouldn't appreciate it if he took the saying '_blood, sweat and tears'_ literally.

He'd started working on it the day after they'd made their little wager, and until this evening he'd been making excellent progress on it. But tonight for some reason, he couldn't seem to keep the needle out of his flesh. His poor fingertips were red and the skin a bit sore from being stuck so many times. He wasn't by any means bad at sewing; years of repairing clothing himself had seen to that. It was just that tonight he was a little… distracted.

And by distracted, he meant he couldn't get his mind off of a certain pink haired medic.

He hadn't seen her in two days, not since _Icha Icha Violence_ was stolen, and apparently absence not only made the heart fonder but it also drove the mind insane. It'd started yesterday when he'd swung by the Hokage's office to drop off a mission report that was three months overdue. He'd told himself that three months was enough time to have Tsunade gritting her teeth while fighting not to throw another paperweight at him, but in reality he knew it could have waited another week. The truth of the matter was that he'd hoped to bump into the Hokage's apprentice while there. Unfortunately, it was a hospital day for Sakura and there wasn't a chance in hell he was stepping foot in that place, not without a life threatening injury at any rate. And even then he'd have to be unconscious and carried against his will.

Later that afternoon, he'd spotted her sitting in a café by herself having lunch. She had a stack of folders on the chair next to her and seemed so engrossed in reading through one of them that he hadn't wanted to disturb her. So instead, he went to Ichiraku Ramen by himself and was fortuitous enough to bump into Tenzou while there. One of these days, he supposed he should really pay his kohai back for all the free meals.

Then… there was last night. He'd been stretched out on the couch, very much like he was now, and was all set to read the brand new book he'd bought entitled _Dangerous Affairs_. Four chapters in and the sex started… except that it wasn't the buxom blonde on the cover he saw writhing on a bed. It was a girl much younger with pink hair and not nearly the same amount of breast. And try as he might to focus instead on the heroine, he couldn't quite get his brain to stop seeing Sakura clawing at the sheets, lips parted and hair tangled while she…

He'd stopped reading the book, but that hadn't really solved the problem. Five minutes under a freezing cold shower did the trick though, after which he'd gotten dressed and returned to the couch to work on the quilt for the rest of the evening. Later that night he'd woken up with pieces of half sewn fabric covering him, a hard on and her name on his lips. His hand was half way down his pants before he realized what he was doing and stopped himself quickly. Having a few stray fantasies about Sakura was one thing. Actually masturbating to those fantasies was entirely different.

Tonight was the welcoming banquet for the Suna representatives. The only reason he knew that was because Genma had come down with a bottle of whiskey and the need to complain about the fact that he was going to it. Kakashi had done the neighborly thing by supplying two glasses and giving the impression that he was actually listening to the other man's ranting. He continued to nod and make little sounds of interest as Genma railed irritably, but his mind was preoccupied with other things. Such as wondering what sort of dress Sakura was wearing.

Maybe it was one of those cute little silky dresses that looked a lot like lingerie. Something pale pink with black lace would be especially nice… or maybe it was another strapless number, one that hugged her trim waist nicely before flaring at the hip…

Or maybe she was wearing a formal kimono. He'd had to close his eyes and suppress a shudder when the image of a very properly made up Sakura kneeling serenely at a table popped into his head. He didn't know what it was about women in traditional attire, but it lit him up faster than a sheer bra and thong set ever could. More than likely, it had to do with some of Jiraiya's earlier work. There was one collection of short pieces where he did nothing but describe the ordinary routines of women, and despite being completely free of porn it was still one of the most erotic things Kakashi could ever recall reading. One of the pieces was all about the art of kimono wearing and it was by far some of Jiraiya's best work.

It was that image of Sakura wearing a dark red kimono and stretched out on a bed that had stuck with him all evening. He'd tried to banish it several times, but it was firmly rooted and not budging. Every so often, mostly when he'd just started to get into a rhythm with stitching pieces of quilt together, his imagination would push it just a bit further; the kimono would slip down one pale shoulder, her fingers curling in the rich fabric, though whether it was to pull it back in place or assist in its downward progress he didn't know. It was usually at that point that the needle would stab into his finger tip, jarring him very rudely from his fantasies.

Kakashi groaned and pressed a hand over his eyes. There was no denying it any longer; he was definitely attracted to his former student. Whether it was by design or completely natural on her part, she appealed to him in a way that went beyond just a general interest. She was pretty, intelligent, tolerated his quirks fairly well and he was beginning to really not like the fact that none of it was real between them. Even if her charm was all her and not part of her scheme, it didn't change the fact that she wasn't dating him because she wanted to. Their 'relationship' was purely business and to entertain any other idea would be foolish.

Still though… that didn't change the fact he'd grown rather fond of her presence. Sakura was young but there were times where she demonstrated a type of maturity that far exceeded her years. She was incredibly adept at reading his moods, something he found a little disconcerting seeing as not even his closest acquaintances could read him as easily as she did. It was her uncanny ability of knowing what he needed and when that he would really miss, more so than anything else. When she smiled at him, it was damn near impossible not to smile back at her.

Damn it, this was ridiculous. He was _not_ going to spend another evening thinking about something he'd never have. Scowling angrily at his one-tracked mind, Kakashi carefully moved the half sewn pieces of quilt off of his lap and stood up. There was only one place he knew of that could distract him from almost anything; the bookstore. It was virtually impossible to think about anything else when there were so many books he could read.

As long as it wasn't erotica, that is.

Kakashi didn't bother grabbing any of his usual gear, save for the hip pouch that attached to his belt. Out of reflex, he automatically reached for _Icha Icha Paradise _to take with him. As much as he loved the book, he had a feeling he wouldn't make it through the first sex scene without Sakura somehow creeping into his imagination. So instead, Kakashi selected one of Jiraiya's earlier works from the bookcase, one he knew had absolutely no porn in it, and left his apartment for his second home.

As soon as he stepped outside the apartment building however, his lips twisted into a distasteful grimace as a fine mist of rain sprayed across his face. The sidewalk was damp with a few small puddles already forming from the light rainfall. Dark clouds loomed off in the distance, signifying that this was just the beginning of what promised to be a torrential downpour by the morning. At the moment it wasn't bad enough to warrant an umbrella, but it did prevent him from reading as he walked. There was enough streetlamp light to read by, but he wasn't going to risk the pages getting wet and drying together.

So, without anything to distract it, his mind decided to wander back to Sakura. Naturally.

He wondered if she was having fun. More than likely, Tsunade was putting her to work gathering information on all the guests. Who better than a charming, petite girl with a dazzling smile to extract the details of a whispered agreement between two parties? He could just see her laughing at a joke some faceless man made, placing her hand coyly on his arm as she leaned in a little more intimately, a faint flush of color touching her cheeks as the man commented on how pretty she was…

Kakashi came to a stop, his eye narrowing as his hands fisted inside his pockets. The thought of some ill-intentioned man leering at her sent a cold, malicious feeling coursing through his blood. It was about nine o'clock, judging by the placement of the moon overhead. The banquet had to be over by now, which meant Sakura would be walking home alone… unless one of those leering men he'd envisioned decided to walk her home.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned around and started walking in the opposite direction of the bookstore.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't wanna go, Forehead? Kiba got his hands on some fireworks and we were gonna set them off down by the river."

Sakura smiled and shook her head at her friend's pleading, puppy-eyed expression. "I'm sure," she replied, rubbing her arms briskly as she glanced up at the cloud covered sky. "Besides, isn't it a little too cold and wet for fireworks?"

"It's never too cold _or_ wet to blow shit up!" Kiba crowed from further down the street, earning him a few laughs from some of the boys in the group.

"Aw, c'mon, Sakura!" Ino cajoled, curling her lower lip out into a grade-A pout. "You didn't get a chance to have any fun at all tonight, what with Tsunade running you around nonstop."

Shaking her head once again, Sakura said, "It's okay, really. I'm actually pretty tired and wouldn't be much fun anyway." It was partially true. She _was_ exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home, put on her comfiest pajamas and curl up on the couch with hot chocolate and a movie. But the main reason she didn't want to go was that the group consisted of nothing but couples. She would be the only one there without a date, which meant she'd more than likely find herself sitting alone anyway. If she was going to do that, it would be in the comfort of her own apartment, _not_ outside in the rain wearing a silk dress.

Ino's eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment before she turned her back and started walking toward the waiting group. "Have it your way, Forehead," she called back, waving airily over her shoulder. "You're gonna be missing out on a lotta fun!"

"Let me know if Kiba blows himself up, okay?" Sakura called back, grinning when the boy in question started shouting about how he knew what he was doing. She let out a wistful sigh as she remained standing under the cement overhang of the Hokage Tower, watching after her friends as they quickly disappeared from sight. If Kakashi had been there…

"Sakura-chan, what are you still doing here?"

Sakura turned at the sound of Shizune's voice and forced what she hoped passed as a cheerful smile. If Shizune suspected she was upset, she would badger her until she told her what was wrong, and she _really_ didn't feel like sharing that the reason she was upset was because she missed Kakashi. Pointing up at the sky to indicate the light sprinkling of rain, she answered, "I was trying to wait out the shower. My dress is silk and—,"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Genma was shrugging out of his jacket and handing it to her. "Here, put this on over it," he offered solicitously. "See, Shizune wouldn't let my wear _my _silk dress, so I don't have to worry about getting wet."

"Oh, no! That's okay," she argued immediately. It was a little cold out and she didn't want Genma getting sick on her account because he'd walked around in the rain without a jacket.

"Don't be silly, Sakura-chan," Shizune insisted, taking the jacket and fixing it snugly around Sakura's shoulders. "You can just bring it with you to the hospital tomorrow."

"But… are you sure? I mean, I don't mind sending it out for dry cleaning—,"

Genma let out a dismissive sound and said, "That's sweet but unnecessary. Just make sure I get it back or I'll take it out on your boyfriend's ass the next time I see him."

Blushing as he once again referred to Kakashi as her boyfriend, Sakura slipped her arms into the sleeves and wrapped the front closed around her. It smelled like his cologne, but it was warm and definitely did the job keeping her dry. She smiled at the satisfied grin on Genma's face and joked, "Weren't you planning to do that anyway?"

"Yeah, I was until someone told me I wasn't allowed," he chuckled, hooking an arm around Shizune's waist to pull her in against his side. "You gonna be okay walking home alone?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Thanks for letting me use your coat."

"No problem. G'night, Sakura-chan!"

"See you tomorrow morning," Shizune added with a quick hug and smile before she and Genma headed off toward their home.

Sakura smiled after them for a moment, hugging Genma's coat to her as she buried her hands in the overly long sleeves. Then, she stepped out from under the protection of the overhang and started walking quickly back to her apartment. She kept her head down and the jacket firmly closed as she hopped over puddles and hugged close to buildings to try and block as much of the wind as possible. Fortunately for her, she only lived a couple blocks from the administration offices.

She couldn't wait to get home and changed into something comfortable. Her feet were sore from standing all night and as pretty as the dress was it was starting to take on static from the change in the air outside. She could feel it clinging to her body as she hurried down the sidewalk, which wasn't at all comfortable. Damn it, she _knew_ she should have sprayed it down with that anti-static stuff like her mom had said, but she'd been in such a rush to leave that she didn't have the time.

She turned down the street she lived on and groaned happily at the sight of her apartment building as it came into view in front of her. Just a little further and she'd be warm and dry and… Sakura stopped dead in her tracks right in the middle of the walkway at the sight of a very familiar figure sitting on the top step outside the main entrance, using the cloth awning as a means of shielding him and his book from the rain. What the… why was Kakashi here?

As if sensing her presence (which he more than like had, actually), Kakashi looked up from his book. His eyes creased happily as he lifted his hand in a lazy wave and greeted her with a cheerful, "Yo!"

Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she walked numbly over to him, too shocked at seeing him here to remember how to speak. Finally, she managed to find her words as she asked bewilderedly, "W-What are you doing here?"

"Well, it was such a lovely night that I thought I might find a nice spot to read for a while," he joked, slipping a strip of paper into his book and closing it. "And as it so happens, your apartment building is the perfect place."

Sakura fought the smile that twitched at the corners of her lips as he stuck the book behind his back and casually walked over to where she was still standing in the rain. "Of course," he continued, his dark eye glinting with amusement as he met her gaze. "It would have been more comfortable _inside_, but the guard wouldn't let me in."

"That's because the doors are locked after nine. You need a building key to get in," she replied with a smirk as she opened her purse and pulled out her keys, dangling them directly in front of his face.

"Ah. Good to know. I thought I was going to have to stage a break in."

She laughed as she moved passed him and unlocked the outer door, smiling as he followed her inside. "I guess it's a good thing I came home when I did then. How long were you out here anyway?"

"Not long," Kakashi answered unconcernedly as he slipped an arm around her waist, his hand settling on her hip with an almost possessive firmness. Sakura was incredibly grateful for the handrail on the stairs when her knees went a bit weak at his touch. Two days without seeing him and she felt like she was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. "Nice coat, by the way."

"Oh, thanks. I borrowed it from this wonderfully sweet gentleman who was appalled that I didn't have a date with me," she teased while snuggling into Genma's jacket like it was the softest thing she'd ever felt.

Kakashi's eyebrows rose as he shook his head in disbelief. "Genma is _not_ a gentleman. Not even a tiny bit."

Sakura pouted at him and gave his side a sharp poke as she demanded, "How did you know it was Genma?"

"I'd recognize that cologne of his anywhere." The way he said that suggested he didn't find it a very appealing fragrance.

"Well, it was still nice of him," she insisted as she unlocked the door to her apartment and flicked on the light switch just inside the entryway. "You probably wouldn't have let me borrow _your _coat."

"Probably not," he conceded, an edge of amusement coloring his voice. "But that's only because it'd hide your dress."

Sakura glanced at him over her shoulder, her lips curving into a wicked little smile as she turned to face him, letting the coat fall open so he could see the dress she'd bought with him in mind. There was a flicker of something dark and intense through his eye as he looked her up and down, his gaze pausing ever so slightly at the flash of skin exposed by the fabric parting between her breasts. "Is that better?" she asked, hoping the breathiness in her voice sounded sultry and not like she'd just gotten punched in the gut.

Kakashi moved closer to her, enough so that she could feel the warmth of his body against hers. Sakura's breath caught as his hands rose to cup her face briefly before caressing down her neck. She shivered when his fingers slipped underneath the jacket and pushed it slowly off her shoulders, exposing her skin to the cooler air of the room. Genma's jacket hit the floor and she didn't worry about picking it up. It was hard to care about things like wrinkles when he was looking at her so heatedly.

"Very beautiful," he murmured appreciatively, his gaze most definitely lingering a little on the peek-a-boo gap this time as he looked her over once again. She knew she should probably feel embarrassed or outraged that he was openly ogling her chest, but honestly… she felt neither. If anything, she'd almost say she _liked _the fact that he was checking her out. It made her feel as beautiful as he claimed she was.

Warmth stained her cheeks as she smoothed a nonexistent strand of hair back behind her ear. She shouldn't think things like that. It would only make her grow attached to him, which would make breaking up with him at the end of the mission harder than it already would be. Chewing her lower lip uneasily, Sakura began walking backward toward her bedroom. "I'm gonna get changed. You know, don't want the silk to wrinkle. If you want, you can start some tea. Just… make yourself at home and I'll be right back."

"So, did you have fun?" Kakashi inquired as he strolled into the kitchen, leaving her to make a hasty retreat into her bedroom. The sound of water streaming from the faucet told her he was taking her up on the offer of tea.

"Sort of. The conversations were good, but I didn't get a chance for anything really in depth," Sakura called back as she struggled briefly with the thin zipper on the side of the dress. Damn it… she'd used a good chunk of her rent to buy this thing, at the very least it should have a decent zipper! Gripping the slippery fabric in one hand, Sakura grit her teeth and jerked down on the zipper with the other, praying the entire time that she didn't break it with such rough treatment. The tab slid down as easily as if it hadn't been caught and she wasted no time in pulling it over her head, draping it neatly over the back of her chair. She grabbed the long sleeved t-shirt that was folded neatly on top of her laundry basket and tugged it on quickly

"That's a shame. I'm guessing it's because Tsunade wanted to make use of your eyes, ears and charm."

Laughing as she exited the bedroom still tying her drawstring pants, Sakura leaned a shoulder against the entryway of the kitchen just in time for the tea kettle to start whistling shrilly. "I guess," she replied, watching as Kakashi poured the steaming water into two mugs. "Mostly, she just wanted my eyes and ears though."

Kakashi handed her a mug, his eyes creasing happily as she took it from him. "Well, that's a relief. I'd hate to think she'd exploit your charm on people who wouldn't appreciate it."

Sakura's cheeks flared a little, brought on by yet another compliment from him. Geeze… was he ever in the mood to flatter her! Maybe she wasn't the only one missing good company tonight. She turned and went over to the couch, placing her tea next to the book he'd been reading while waiting for her to get home. Judging by the cover jacket, it didn't look like erotica. In fact, it looked like something she might pick up on a whim. Motioning to the book curiously, she asked, "No _Icha Icha?"_

"No _Icha Icha,_ but still Jiraiya's work," he answered as he sat next to her, propping one knee on the cushion between them so that he was facing her.

Sakura wrinkled her nose at the mention of the legendary pervert and shook her head. "And here I thought you were reading something of real substance," she remarked, twisting around to mirror his position on the couch.

"It _is_ of real substance. There's not a single bit of smut in it," Kakashi countered quickly, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"Well, forgive me if I find that hard to believe. It's written by Jiraiya and you're reading it. It's logical then to assume that it _is_ pornography."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair unconcernedly. "Jiraiya's been writing for close to twenty years now. _Icha Icha _is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his mastery of the written word. You'd probably like his earlier stuff— _if _you could forget for two seconds that he writes erotica and just enjoy it."

Sakura poked his stomach playfully as he took a sip of tea through his mask. "I like a good book just as much as the next person," she said. "Emphasis on the _good_ part. And I don't think anything written by Jiraiya constitutes as a good read."

"And your cheap thrillers do?" he questioned dryly as he carefully set his tea on the table.

Ooooh… he did _not_ go and insult her mystery novels! Eyes narrowing into an unamused glare, Sakura pushed up off the couch and stomped over to the bookcase on the far side of the room. She ignored the fact that Kakashi was watching her as she ran a finger along the book spines, searching through the titles for the one she wanted. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for and, with a triumphant smile, she pulled it free and took it back with her to the couch.

Kakashi arched a brow as she thrust the book at him and resumed her former position next to him. "_Thicker Than Blood,_" he read out loud, flipping the book over to read the summary on the back. Sakura sipped her tea primly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as he shook his head before setting the book on the table next to his own. "Alright, I'll give it a try. But in return… you have to read _that_."

It was now Sakura's turn to arch a brow as she leveled an incredulous look at im. "You expect me to read _that_?" she demanded, jerking a thumb in the direction of his book. "Not a chance in hell!"

"It's only fair, Sakura. I read one of your mystery novels filled to overflowing with plot clichés. You read one of my eloquently written, _non-erotica_ novels in return."

Damn it… he had a point. It really wouldn't be fair of her to insist he read something of hers without giving one of his books a try. Just… did it have to be one of _Jiraiya's_? Why couldn't it be something more like… Sakura very nearly gasped out loud when an idea popped into her head, one that would potentially kill two birds with one stone. "If you're trying to convert me into believing Jiraiya's a good writer, why not let me borrow _Icha Icha Paradise _instead?" she asked, hoping like hell she didn't sound overly eager.

To her dismay, Kakashi only chuckled and gave her hair a good ruffle. "Two reasons," he replied, catching her hand as she pulled his fingers from her hair with a scowl. "First, despite the fact that _Icha Icha _is his most popular work I personally don't feel it shows the true measure of his talent. It's a good every day read, but it's nothing compared to his earlier work. Second, you've already formed an opinion about it and you haven't even read it yet, therefore when and if you _do_ read it any conclusion you come to will be flawed."

"Unless it's a positive conclusion," she argued quickly as she pushed herself onto her knees so as to better face him. "Since my opinion of it isn't very high to begin with, if I read it and _like_ it then it's an even bigger victory for you."

"Hmm… good point. However, it could be that because you think so lowly of it that any enjoyment you get will be magnified significantly and therefore give us a falsely positive result. You know, sort of like how pessimism is really optimism in disguise."

"Wait… what?" Sakura's brow creased tightly as she tried to figure out where he was going with this conversation.

"Think about it," Kakashi continued, his dark eye glinting with amusement. "If you're constantly expecting the worst to happen, your relief when it doesn't is increased dramatically. You're basically creating situations for yourself to potentially double the pleasure you'd get out of the every day experience."

"Or," Sakura said. "You're only setting yourself up for failure every time. If you're gonna fail, then why bother trying at all? And even if you _do_ go into something expecting it to be bad, there's gotta be a certain element of positive thinking involved in order to get any enjoyment out of it in the end."

"Ah, now you're contradicting yourself in terms of _Icha Icha._ If you did have a positive response to it, that would mean a part of you actually _wanted_ to read it to begin with."

Crap… he had here there. Pouting over the fact that he'd cornered her into either having to admit that her opinion was biased (which, admittedly, it was) or that she secretly wanted to read _Icha Icha _(which she most definitely did _not_), Sakura grabbed his book off the table to read some of the critic reviews on the back. Her frown intensified as she flipped the cover open and thumbed through the flyleaves quickly. "There aren't any reviews listed," she commented.

"That's because this book was never officially published," Kakashi explained. "This is the only printed copy in existence. Jiraiya went and had it made for me a few years back. Very thoughtful of him, actually."

"I'll say," Sakura said, her eyebrows lifting in surprise as she set it back on the coffee table. She hadn't known Kakashi and Jiraiya were particularly close like that, but she supposed it made sense. Perverts needed to stick together, after all. Sighing, Sakura lifted her arms overhead and stretched, relishing the series of pops that ran down her spine. "Oh, before I forget… Genma-san said something about going over to his and Shizune-san's place for dinner sometime."

"Did he now?" For a brief second, a thoughtful, suspicious look came to his eye, but it was gone before Sakura could decipher whether it was being directed at her or Genma's offer.

"Yeah. It sounds like it might be fun, but if you'd rather not—,"

"No, that's fine. Is there a date and time yet?"

Sakura shook her head and wriggled her toes between the seat cushions to warm them up. "Not yet. He was supposed to talk to Shizune-san about it and let us know."

Kakashi nodded once and smiled at her, his eyes creasing. "Okay. Just let me know if Shizune gets back to you on that. Genma's a terrible messenger boy."

She laughed and stood up, very aware that Kakashi was watching her curiously as she went over to the small entertainment unit on the far wall. She turned on the television, hitting the volume button immediately when the loud, grating static came blaring out, and called over her shoulder, "I'm in the mood to watch a movie. Do you have a preference for what kind?"

"No, not really," he replied absently. "Whatever you want to watch is fine."

"So, if I put in a foreign romantic drama full of emotionally poignant moments and insist you hold me while I sob uncontrollably, you won't mind?"

"… A comedy sounds good."

Laughing at his change in response, Sakura opened the small cabinet underneath the television and began sorting through the rather limited number of movies she and Ino owned. She found one that she didn't think would be too emasculating for him to watch and popped it into the machine, turning off the living room light before reclaiming her spot on the couch next to Kakashi. He arched a brow as she snuggled closer against his side, plucking at his shirt sleeve in an effort to get him to lift his arm and put it around her. "Come on," she encouraged, flashing him playful smile. "I promise I won't bite."

Kakashi sighed as if it were such a huge inconvenience and picked his arm up. Grinning, Sakura quickly moved in to claim the space he'd opened up. She curled her legs off to one side, her knees resting alongside his thigh, and settled her cheek on his shoulder. He was warm and that rainy day scent she'd come to associate with him blanketed her, prompting her to rub her cheek on the firm flesh pillowing her head. Sakura released a contented breath, her fingers tracing small circles just above his knee as she relaxed completely against him. This was _exactly_ what she'd wanted all night; to be with him, even if it was just sitting together.

The movie was playing, but she wasn't really watching it. She'd already seen it a few times anyway and it was difficult to focus on anything other than the man next to her. She felt every breath he took through the steady rise and fall of his chest under her cheek. His heartbeat was a solid, even sound she could just barely make out over the noise from the television. The way his fingers stroked lazily along her upper arm and shoulder made her skin prickle as if she were cold, which wasn't possible seeing as he was so warm. It was distracting but in a very, _very_ good way, one that made a warm feeling start low in her belly.

As the movie progressed, the sensations caused by his proximity increased. Her skin was tingling from the light touches and her breathing was shallow and a little unsteady. That tight, hot feeling in her stomach sank lower until it settled between her legs to throb gently. She closed her eyes, catching her lower lip between her teeth as the lightheadedness she now knew was pleasure swept through her, making her squirm ever so slightly. Kakashi's hand stilled briefly in its gentle stroking before resuming again, this time moving in very deliberate lines that told her he was aware of how much she liked what he was doing. It made her want more than just a few gentle touches.

She hadn't really seen him for almost three days and she could honestly admit that she'd missed him. The way she figured it, she could afford one night of a little self indulgence without it being detrimental to her mission… right?

Without warning, she leaned over the edge of the couch and she began rooting underneath the couch, searching for the remote control while she felt Kakashi watching her curiously. It took her a few seconds of fumbling underneath the couch before she finally found it. Sakura hit the power button and the television shut off, throwing the room into a murky dimness caused by the glow of streetlights through thick curtains. It was just enough light for her to make out his shape on the couch but nothing more.

"Sakura?" he asked in a carefully neutral voice.

Sakura didn't hesitate or think about how inappropriate it was to sling her leg over his so that she was sitting across his lap with her knees resting on either side of his hips. She did it because it would be far easier to kiss him like this rather than craning her neck at an awkward angle. Kakashi remained perfectly still where he sat, his hands settling on her knees cautiously. There was a quiet tension to his body, one she felt underneath her palms as she smoothed them up the front of his chest to his shoulders and behind his neck, her fingers locking at his nape. The ends of his hair brushed across her knuckles as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cloth covered lips.

She drew back slightly, just enough to meet his gaze and make note of the way his breath hitched, before moving in to kiss him again. Sakura felt his mouth move against hers shortly before his hands slid up from her knees to squeeze her thighs. A shudder moved down her spine at the touch, one that he noticed and which prompted him to repeat the pressure as their mouths met again. Her fingers tightened behind his neck at the sudden, unexpected rush of heat that flooded through her over the firm, sure grip of his hands, and then she was tugging at his mask impatiently, peeling it down his cheeks until it bunched at his neck.

This time, it was the softer texture of his lips that met hers. Hesitantly, she flicked her tongue along the seam and he opened his mouth for her with a soft groan. Her tongue slid over his, tasting the faint bitterness from the tea and him. She'd never kissed anyone like this before. Usually it was Kakashi who controlled the kiss, and she wondered briefly if she was even doing it right. It seemed like she was, if the way he slanted his mouth against hers and kept up with the slow, careful pace she set was any indication. His hands smoothed up her thighs, his fingers kneading her flesh deliciously as they made their way to her hips.

There was no hurry to any of it and she was fine with that. Kakashi's hands were more massaging than groping as they explored her, never once straying anywhere that could be deemed inappropriate. He touched her thighs, the length of her back, her stomach… and while part of her appreciated the fact that he was minding himself, the louder, more aroused part of her was wishing he'd just move his hands a scant few inches further. At the same time though, those tantalizing near-touches were almost too much for her to take. Each time his knuckles grazed the underside of her breasts, it sent a quick flare of desire through her. The throbbing heat between her legs intensified whenever his hands gripped her thighs and hips.

Kakashi slid lower on the couch so that he was partially reclined, never once breaking the kiss. The movement tipped her forward against him and she slid up his body to compensate for the new angle, sitting now across his lower stomach with her breasts pressed flush to his chest. Sakura leaned over him with her fingers buried in his hair and met each stroke of his tongue eagerly. The kiss was hotter now, more urgent and definitely not teasing. It was mind numbing and unlike any kiss she'd ever had before. Things were very rapidly going farther than she'd planned, but she couldn't muster the will to stop it, not when it felt this _right._

Sakura was panting against his mouth, moaning whenever his teeth nipped at her lips, shivering as she felt the callused pads of his fingers brushing hesitantly along the bare skin of her waist. When it became apparent she wasn't going to stop him, Kakashi groaned and slid his hands underneath her shirt completely. His nails scratched lightly at her skin as his fingers traced over her ribs, circling around to work down the length of her spine, catching on the back of her bra but not going so far as to undo the clasp. Anywhere he touched seemed to burn and ache for more.

A soft, startled cry broke from her when he sucked at the pulse point in her throat, his teeth scraping on skin in sharper counterpoint. The sensation caused by these dueling actions— the gentle, wet suction and the harsh press of teeth— was simply amazing. Sakura tipped her head back, her fingers tangling in his hair encouragingly as he continued to attack her throat with lips, tongue and teeth. He sucked at her skin, licked and nipped at her pulse until she was moaning his name and shivering as her hips rocked a little into his…

And came into contact with something firm and warm down the front of his pants.

They both froze simultaneously. Sakura pulled back from him in shock. She didn't need anatomy lessons to know that the 'something' she'd been rubbing against was Kakashi's penis. It should have been one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. This man was her former teacher, her team leader and most importantly her friend. She should be beyond mortified over what she'd just done… but she wasn't. Instead, she'd been so overwhelmed that for a moment the only thing that mattered was feeling it again. The heat between them was so powerful, so dominating, she didn't even want to try and fight it through rational thought.

Unfortunately, it seemed Kakashi did. Sakura was just about to roll her hips into his again when he muttered, "I think we should stop."

"What?" she asked breathlessly, leaning back enough to study his shadowed face. It was difficult pinning someone with an incredulous look when you couldn't even see them, but she tried anyway.

"I said we should stop now," he repeated, his voice no longer low and husky but carrying a very familiar authoritative ring that even now she had a hard time arguing with. It was that unyielding tone that finally snapped some reasoning back into her passion clouded head and suddenly she realized what _exactly_ they'd been doing. Sakura hastily scooted off his lap, her entire face right down to her neck burning red with embarrassment.

She didn't look at him as he sighed wearily and pushed off the couch. "I should probably get going," he said quietly and she nodded while carefully keeping her eyes glued to the bookcase. She heard him sigh again before he took hold of her chin, forcing her to turn and face him. Sakura's eyes widened a touch when his lips brushed chastely across hers, lingering just long enough that for a brief second she thought he might kiss her again. But he didn't and she couldn't help the pang of regret as he drew back from her slowly, letting his fingers slide down the curve of her cheek affectionately. Even though she was completely humiliated by what had transpired, she still couldn't suppress the shudder that went through her at his touch.

"See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan." With that, he pulled back completely and was gone from her apartment before she could even finish opening her mouth to protest.

Letting out a low, aggravated breath, Sakura flopped back on the couch and stared up at the darkened ceiling with her brow pinched and a scowl on her lips. She should have been relieved at least _one_ of them had kept their head, but she really wasn't. All her stubborn brain insisted on thinking about was what had happened between them. She wasn't entirely certain just how far she would have gone but they'd definitely gone farther than they should have, although not nearly far enough to ease the throbbing sensation between her legs. The feel of him pressing against her had been so…

Sakura's eyes squeezed closed as she shut that train of thought down immediately. Stupid… she was so _stupid!_ How could she have thought one evening of just letting go was a good idea? It was _never _a good idea to drop her guard, especially around Hatake Kakashi! This was a mission, just like any other. Letting things get out of control like that was unacceptable.

But it'd felt so _right_. It was the same sort of certainty she'd had when she'd approached Tsunade and asked to be her apprentice. Everything about Kakashi just felt _right_.

Her eyes slid open slowly as a sudden, horrible realization came crashing down on her. Despite her intentions and constant reminders that this was only a mission… she'd gone and fallen for him. She, Haruno Sakura, had once again fallen for a man she could never hope to have. Moaning at the cruelty of life in general and the stupidity of her own heart, Sakura curled up on the couch and whimpered to the ceiling, "What the hell is wrong with me?" The ceiling, much to her chagrin, didn't offer any suggestions whatsoever.

* * *

Kakashi was soaking wet and so freezing he couldn't feel the tip of his nose by the time he got home, but he didn't care. He'd needed a cold shower anyway and walking home in a full blown downpour was a good way to cut down on the water bill. He closed the door to his apartment and headed immediately to the small bedroom, his feet squelching in his shoes as he went. Watery footsteps marked his path as he flicked on the dull overhead light and grabbed the towel that was right on top of the laundry hamper.

He stripped down, dropping the soggy clothing into a pile on the floor before drying off and pulling on some fresh clothes. Kakashi turned the light off and flopped heavily onto his bed, causing the springs to creak loudly. He tugged the blankets up around him, stretched an arm out to turn on the small wall heater and sighed wearily as his head fell back against the lumpy pillow. He stared up at the cracked, water stained ceiling blankly, unable to force himself to sleep. Awake or asleep, he knew either way his thoughts would be firmly fixated on Sakura, but at least with the former he had some control over what direction they went.

She hadn't said to stop. _Why_ didn't she tell him to stop? Was she seriously willing to go that far just for a book? Or had she just been caught up in the moment? There was no doubt she'd been aroused, which he had to (unfortunately for his ego) attribute to her lack of experience rather than any skill he possessed. After all, it wasn't like he'd actually _touched _her… Kakashi grit his teeth and clamped down on his self control before _that_ went any further. He didn't feel like another ice cold dousing tonight.

His thoughts returned to his primary source of confusion; the fact that she hadn't stopped him. It bothered him that she didn't seem to have a line drawn as to how much was too much. That wasn't like Sakura at all; she'd always been aware of just how far she could push before it was more than she could handle. The idea of her setting that boundary aside and willingly offering up her body just for a book was not something he would have ever expected of her.

But what if the reason she hadn't stopped him was because she didn't want to?

Kakashi groaned and pressed a hand over his eyes as that idea sank into his head. He recalled the way she'd been touching him so eagerly, kissing him so boldly. She'd been so uninhibited, so completely responsive to him. The feel of her soft skin under his fingers, the taste of her on his tongue, the smell of her… He could still smell her on him; the scent of her lotion clinging to his hands and the faint remnants of her arousal as she'd rocked against him. Without thinking, he inhaled a little deeper, catching the thread of that feminine scent… and groaned again when his cock began to harden in his pants.

He reached down to adjust himself, intending to just ignore it until it went away, but the moment his hand touched the semi-hardened flesh his back snapped off the bed as need slashed through him. Not fully conscious of what he was doing, Kakashi slid his palm across his cock and gasped sharply as he stroked himself to full hardness through his pants. This was wrong. He was crossing his own line now and he _really_ shouldn't be doing this, but _fuck_ did it feel good. Ignoring the part of him that was warning against this, he gripped his shaft and gave it a good, firm pull.

_Oh… fuck, yes._

Still seeing white spots dance across his vision from that initial contact, Kakashi tugged again and gasped as his back arched off the bed. It was that second stroke that was his undoing. His fingers fumbled as he hastily slid them down the front of his pants to grip the burning flesh of his cock firmly. He worked his hand quickly, grunting and panting and jerking his hips in response to the glorious friction. He could already feel his balls tightening and knew this would be over with very quickly.

Fluid smeared under his thumb, rubbed down his shaft as the smell of his own arousal combined with the traces of hers. Behind his tightly closed eyes, he could see her again; moving over him, her tongue darting sweetly into his mouth as her hips rolled and ground into his. His hand sped up and he was gritting his teeth to keep the moans from getting much louder. He could see her eyes lose focus as he rolled her beneath him, spreading her legs wide for him to thrust in her, fuck her hard and fast and—

"_Fuck!"_ The word hissed out of him as everything exploded at once. All sensation drained from his body, focusing solely on the way his balls drew up tightly, his cock spurting over his fist, his stomach, staining through his dark pants. He slowed down, squeezing and milking his length until the shudders began to subside and his flesh softened against his palm. A thin sheen of sweat coated his body as the delirious, lightheaded sensation left him panting and shaking on the bed. Slowly, he relaxed his grip, his fingers coated in semen that was already beginning to cool and turn sticky. Kakashi's eyes opened the barest amount as his freehand released the sheet it'd been gripping so tightly. Even through the haze of orgasm, he realized what he'd just done.

"_Fuck!"_ This time, the word was groaned miserably at the ceiling as he to lie on the bed with his hand down his pants and his head filled with the knowledge that he had just crossed his own line.


	21. Caught Me Under False Pretenses

**Dear Anonymous Reader Who Left A Link At My LJ****: **Hello again and thank you SO MUCH for the fan art. For anyone who's curious, it's of the make out scene in the last chapter. You can find the link under my LJ post titled "I Don't Feel Like Dancing, No Sir, No Dancing Today". Again, anon, it was really lovely and brightened my day considerably.

Also, a huge, huge, HUGE thanks to goldengrimoire for talking out this chapter with me. Somehow, and I don't know how, she managed to reign in my psychotic muse. If it weren't for her, this chapter wouldn't have been up tonight. Worship her.

* * *

"Morning, Forehead!" Ino called cheerfully from where she was rinsing her cereal bowl out in the sink.

Sakura grunted drowsily in reply, rubbing her eyes as she stumbled over to the cabinet to pull out a bowl. Yawning widely, she flopped down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and grabbed the open box of cereal still sitting on it, dumping it into her bowl absently. A gallon of milk magically appeared next to her elbow, courtesy of Ino, and she made another grunting sound of thanks as she poured it on top of the crunchy flakes. She hated waking up. She especially hated waking up after a night of very little sleep. If she saw Kakashi today, she was going to kill him for invading her dreams.

"So," Ino said cheerfully as she took a seat across from her barely conscious roommate, her hands curled around a mug of tea. "You missed out on a lotta fun last night."

"Tha' suckths," Sakura mumbled around a large bite of cereal. She really wasn't interested in hearing about how fun Ino's night had been. What she wanted more than anything at that moment was to crawl back into bed and catch at least four hours of uninterrupted sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't gonna happen. Tsunade had assigned her to give a tour of their hospital to the visiting Suna healers so that they could build up their medical program. Sleep would have to wait until that evening.

"I was really surprised Kiba _didn__'__t_ blow himself up," the blonde continued, unaware that her audience was barely listening. "Especially when he broke out this staff, lit the ends on fire and started twirling it around. Apparently, his sister took up fire spinning not too long ago as a hobby and he thought it looked cool, so he— oh, my god is that a hickey on your neck?"

Sakura's spoon clattered violently in her bowl of cereal, splashing milk and soggy flakes all over the tabletop as she quickly pressed a hand to her neck. "What?" she croaked, her throat suddenly tight and dry.

"What do you mean what?" Ino demanded. "_You_, Haruno Sakura, have a _hickey_ on your _neck_!"

"Don't be stupid, Pig! It's just a bruise!" She kept her hand pressed to her throat as she stood up from the table, affecting an angry front as she hurried for the bathroom. Oh, crap… she was gonna kill Kakashi dead if he'd marked her neck!

Ino was up and following her in a hot minute, eyes wide in shock as she all but walked on Sakura's heels. "Oh, my god… Sakura!"

"Stop it, Ino," she snapped as she stepped into the bathroom, not bothering to try and close the door on her friend. Her breath was caught in her throat as she slowly lowered her hand… and groaned at the sight of a bright red spot on her neck. "Oh, shit… it _is_ a hickey!"

"Wooow… that's a pretty good one too, Forehead," the blonde mused, peering at the reflection over Sakura's shoulder. Sakura scowled and slapped the other girl's hand sharply when she reached out to poke it with a finger. Ino glowered back but withdrew her hand. Letting out an annoyed huff, she took a seat on the closed toilet seat, her nails tapping across her thighs as her brow pinched in thought. "So, is that why you didn't wanna come out last night?"

"What? No! I had no idea he was coming over. He was sitting on the front step when I got home, reading a book." Sakura sighed and covered the hickey up again, channeling chakra into her palm to repair the minor skin damage. There was no way she was walking out of there with a hickey on her neck. "It's a good thing we cleaned the place earlier because— what? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Ino's lower lip was caught between her teeth as she tried to fight back a dreamy smile. Her blue eyes were practically glowing and there was a slight pink tinting to her cheeks. "Sakura… do you have any idea of cute that is?" she breathed excitedly as the wide grin finally made its way across her lips. "He walked from wherever he lives all the way over here and sat outside in the rain, just because he wanted to see you so badly. That is the _sweetest_ thing ever!"

Sakura's lips twisted and her nose scrunched as she gave a reluctant shrug. "I guess so," she admitted, opening the mirrored door of the small cupboard above the sink to pull out her toothbrush. She took a deep breath and hesitated before adding, "Ino… I like him. A lot."

The blonde's eyes widened further and her lips parted in shock at the confession. Sakura swallowed hard as a fluttery, uncertain feeling came to her stomach. Admitting that to herself was one thing. Saying it out loud and to someone else made it more real and it scared her a little to do so, even if it _was_ to her closest friend. She heard Ino sigh heavily before her hand was covered where it rested on the sink. "You are such a mess, Forehead," Ino muttered, squeezing her hand consolingly. "You really like those impossible ones, huh?"

She smiled wryly and shrugged. "The same could be said for you, Pig. And he's not impossible. Just… complicated and with strings attached."

"So what are you gonna do? Quit the mission?"

"No, I can't," she replied, shaking her head as she freed her hand from Ino's. "I thought about it, but if this is one of Tsunade's tests and I back down… I'll not only be disappointing her but myself."

Ino nodded slowly and tapped her lower lip as a thoughtful crease came to her brow. "That's a good point, I suppose. And it makes sense, too. I mean, if Tsunade _really_ wanted someone to seduce Kakashi-sensei then she would have tapped a kunoichi with more experience and fewer personal ties to him. She wouldn't wanna screw up team dynamics just for some bet."

"Ehs-atly," Sakura concurred, speaking around the toothbrush in her mouth.

"I wonder what the real test is then. The objective is to get his books within six months. That's an awful long timeline for two books, isn't it?"

"Mm-hm." She spit the water from her mouth and reached for the hand towel hanging next to her. "I thought so too, but then again this _is _Copy Ninja Kakashi we're talking about here. He guards those books like his life depends on them."

"True," Ino agreed, shrugging in allowance of that point. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter what the real mission is. You can't quit, no matter how you slice it. So I guess what we should _really_ be focusing on is how to get the books and keep the man… right?"

Sakura took a deep breath and released it slowly, pressing a hand to her stomach as the butterflies started up again. Was that what she wanted? As much as she liked Kakashi, did she really want to make it more permanent? She'd never had a relationship before and it was a little scary thinking about having one with him. It was something that would affect more than just them. She had to consider their teammates (even if they were missing) and the fact that not everyone in the village would be accepting of their relationship. Some of the animosity had simmered down, but she still caught people giving them disapproving looks every so often.

But despite the fact that people didn't approve and it could be detrimental to their team… the idea of saying goodbye to him wasn't one she wanted to even think about.

She turned and met Ino's questioning look steadily. "Yeah, that's right," she said quietly.

A slow, delighted smile curved Ino's lips as she nodded and stood up. "Okay then. I'm working at the shop today until six and then Shikamaru, Chouji and I are gonna go to the festival together. But tomorrow I'm completely free after morning training, so we can spend all afternoon plotting. And we can invite Tenten and Hinata over tomorrow evening, seeing as they're in the loop on it anyway. It never hurts to have a couple extra heads, right?"

Sakura couldn't help smiling at Ino's enthusiastic support and leaned in to give her friend a grateful hug. "Thanks, Ino."

Ino squeezed her back before heading for the door. "Hey, no problem! This is as much for me as it is for you, you know. One less girl I've gotta compete with for a man."

"I should have guessed it was something like that," Sakura laughed, shutting the door after the blonde in order to finish getting ready.

By the time she was done showering, drying her hair and dressing in her usual attire, Ino was already gone. Sakura stopped by the kitchen to grab a couple apples and an energy bar for quick snacks at work, stuffing them into the bag slung across her body. She tucked her training gloves into her belt pouch and was just getting ready to grab her keys when she spotted something on the coffee table that made her pause. Kakashi's book… and right next to it was the one she'd loaned to him. He'd left last night without taking it.

Sakura picked up both books and added them to her bag, a little smile playing on her lips as she left the apartment.

* * *

Genma put a hand to Asuma's chest, stopping him just as they were about to enter the jounin break room and corner their target. "Remember the plan," he murmured, making sure to keep his voice down so Kakashi's freakishly good ears couldn't hear him. "Follow my lead, watch his body language and, for the love of god, don't overact like you always do."

Asuma pinned him with an unamused glare. "Do I _look_ like one of your genin?" he asked sarcastically.

He shuddered at the very mention of those evil creatures. "No, thankfully you don't."

"Then stop treating me like I am. And I do _not_ overact!"

That was a total bullshit lie… but for the sake of having an accomplice in this, Genma refrained from pointing out that Asuma's poker face was about as successful as getting Gai to wear looser clothing. Normally, he would never resort to pulling such an asshole-ish stunt, especially to Kakashi, but Asuma said he needed proof and this was the only way to get it.

He nodded and patted the broader man's chest apologetically. "Okay, let's do this." The two of them entered the room and bee lined right for the beaten chair sporting a mop of silver-white hair over the back of it.

Kakashi glanced up curiously as Genma took a chair on one side and Asuma flopped himself into the one on the other side. "Yes?" he drawled suspiciously as his gaze flickered from one to the other.

Genma had to fight a smirk when he saw that the book Kakashi was read had an _Icha Icha Violence_ cover on it, which was impossible seeing as he had the _real_ book in his vest pocket. Apparently, he was trying to keep it quiet that the book had been stolen, and the reason more than likely had to do with a certain pink haired kunoichi trying to get her hands on it. "You… missed one helluva party last night," he remarked as he slung a leg over one of the chair arms, his foot bumping into Kakashi's knee slightly.

The copy ninja's eye twitched a little in annoyance at having his personal space invaded. "I thought you said it was going to suck," he murmured, lifting his book just a fraction higher to obscure his features. It was his less than subtle attempt at trying to end the conversation before it started… which probably meant a nerve had been struck. Genma had to fight back the devious smile he could feel tugging at the corners of his lips.

Waving off the comment dismissively, he continued, "Yeah, I know that's what I said. But for once they had some pretty fantastic food and there was just the right sort of gossip to keep things interesting. Wouldn't you agree, Asuma?"

"Yeah, it really wasn't that bad," the other man concurred as he stretched his legs out in front of him comfortably. "Kurenai enjoyed it quite a bit. Which reminds me… I've got a bone to pick with you."

Genma staged a heavy, annoyed groan and interrupted, "Asuma, I already told you… it's not like that."

"What's not like what?" Kakashi demanded, his brow pinching a little as he looked up from his book.

Carefully hiding the fact he was elated over the silver haired man taking the bait, Genma rolled his eyes and plucked the senbon from between his lips to point it in Asuma's direction. "He was saying earlier he was pissed off that you let Sakura go to this thing alone. Said it wasn't fair that he and I had to run interference every time some guy with a twitching cock and no brain started eying her up. I kept telling him it wasn't any of our business, but you know how he gets about that sort of thing."

"Well, it _wasn__'__t_ fair," Asuma insisted, playing along perfectly with the good ninja/bad ninja routine. "I mean, what were you thinking letting her go alone? She's young, she's attractive and she's got direct ties to the Hokage. You know just as well as I do how ruthless some of those people can be. You owe me and Genma for watching your girlfriend's back all night!"

"Geeze, you're acting like she was gonna be carried off and defiled or something," Genma argued, noting the way Kakashi squirmed between them as well as the slight hardening in his gaze. "Sakura was taking care of herself."

"And that's why Shizune had to step in to keep that one guy from copping a feel?" the bearded man countered with just the right amount of heat to his voice to make Kakashi lower his book completely.

"What did you just say?" the copy ninja demanded in disbelief.

Genma shook his head and muttered, "It wasn't like that, you idiot. The guy's hand just happened to be a little close to her breast while he was handing her a—,"

"_What?__"_ Kakashi's wide eyed stare swung around to Genma, who was having a hard time trying to keep the laughter in. It wasn't often he got the opportunity to fuck with Kakashi's head, and he was going to relish it for as long as he could.

Asuma rolled his eyes and scowled irritably at Genma. "Whatever, I know what I saw. And if it were _my _girlfriend, there isn't a chance in hell I— what? What's the matter?"

Both of them sat up in concern as Kakashi continued drumming his fingers against the chair arm, his dark grey eye narrowed and speculative. "She never mentioned any of this last night," he murmured, almost as if speaking to himself.

Genma snorted and said, "Probably because it _wasn__'__t_ as bad as what Asuma was saying." Then, his eyes widened as he realized what Kakashi had said and he bolted upright in his chair. "Wait… you _saw_ her last night?'

Immediately, Kakashi shot him a suspicious glare before retreating away from the conversation by picking up his book again. He was avoiding the question, which proved that he _had_ gone to see Sakura last night— and that there was something about the visit that he didn't want to talk about. Well, well… this was turning out to be more interesting than he'd thought.

Digging his shoe idly at a gouge in the floor, Asuma remarked in a softer tone, "She probably just didn't want to upset you, Kakashi. She seems like that kinda girl from what I know of her. It's nice to have someone care about you like that, isn't it?"

"Whoa, hold up a second! It's not like that between them!" Genma exclaimed while Kakashi slouched even further in his chair and lifted his book over his face to hide the slightly pink tint that was just barely visible over his mask. Wow… they'd actually made the man blush! This was a day for the record books.

"But you told me she said she was attracted to him," the bearded man protested, causing Kakashi to once again drop his book to his chest and shoot them both a bewildered look.

"_What?__"_ he asked for the third time that conversation, his voice sharp and more than a little surprised. When he swung around toward Genma for confirmation of Asuma's statement, the senbon user shook his head and pinned his coconspirator with the best I'm-gonna-kill-you glare he could fake.

Asuma shifted uneasily under the glare, just like he normally would have, and muttered, "Well, you _did_ say it."

"Genma." The way Kakashi said his name was more like an order for information rather than an inquiry. Oh, yes… they'd definitely punched a couple nerves here.

He sighed heavily and swiveled the senbon to the other side of his mouth while carefully looking anywhere but at Kakashi. Not only was he aiming for a slightly reluctant expression but he didn't want the other man noticing that he was damn near ready to piss himself laughing. "Fine, you want the truth? The thing is… I went over and started talking with her to keep some pasty faced moron from doing the same and figured I might as well do a little recon while I was at it. So, I casually brought your name up and she, after some careful questioning, admitted that she had a thing for you."

The look on Kakashi's face was that of a man who'd just received a knee to the groin.

"But, that's good… right?" he added quickly, playing up his role as the only one who knew what the true motives were. "I mean, you _want_ her to fall for you after all."

"Of course he does," Asuma scoffed. "Why else would he be dating her?"

Genma met Kakashi's sharp, questioning look and very subtly shook his head to let him know he hadn't said anything about the mission. He had very carefully left out anything concerning Kakashi's real objective when informing his partner in crime about their plan. Had Asuma known that the copy ninja was dating his student for less than honorable reasons, he would have stormed over here to kick some ass rather than help a friend realize what a good thing he had. Letting out an annoyed breath, Kakashi muttered, "It's a bit complicated, Asuma, and I'd appreciate you not getting involved in it."

Asuma held his hands up as if letting go of the topic and said, "Fine, fine. I understand you don't want people poking around at your private life."

"Thank you."

"But you're a complete idiot if you let this one go," the other man ploughed on, ignoring the way Kakashi's head dropped back against the chair in exasperation. "I haven't seen you this happy in a while, and to let something this good slip by just because you're afraid to— where are you going?"

Kakashi was already halfway toward the exit as he called over his shoulder, "Off to find someplace with a little more oxygen."

"Aw, come on, Kakashi," Genma shouted as he pushed hastily to his feet with Asuma and hurried toward the entrance. "You know Asuma meant well!" Kakashi didn't even bother to look back as he exited the jounin headquarters at record walking pace.

Genma waited until he could no longer see the mess of silver hair before breaking out into a wide grin as he gave his accomplice a nudge in the ribs. "See? I was right, wasn't I?"

"Oh, yeah," Asuma chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kakashi's fallen for her pretty hard."

"So, you're on board with the plan then?"

"Hell, yeah! Let's take his ass off the market."

Satisfied that everything had worked out perfectly, Genma pulled _Icha Icha Violence_ from his vest and slapped it into Asuma's chest. The man took it out of reflex and his dark eyes widened when he realized what exactly he was holding. "Keep your Saturday free. Shizune and I are having a couple's only dinner party and you better be there!"

"Hey, wait a second, Genma!" Asuma called as the mastermind behind the scheme hurried off to meet with his genin for training. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Oh, that?" Genma called as he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked back over his shoulder. "Stash it somewhere safe for me, will you? I'll give you further instructions in the near future. Thanks, man!" He shouldered his way through one of the doors, a wide grin on his face as Asuma continued to try and call him back for an explanation as to why he had one of Kakashi's books.

* * *

As soon Kakashi left the jounin facility, he headed immediately in the direction of the bakery to use its rooftop for a _quiet_ afternoon of reading. No one really went up there on nice days since the heat coming from the tiles could be a bit much, but he didn't mind. The smells from the ventilation shafts were divine and it wasn't one of his usual reading spots so nosey friends wouldn't seek him out. It was the perfect place to hide until the busybodies settled down.

He wasn't sure whether Genma was putting on an act with the way he was trying to derail Asuma, but either way it didn't make him happy that the two were discussing his personal life to begin with. They had their own love lives to worry about. Was it _really_ necessary for them to focus on his? He understood that Asuma had nothing but good intentions, but the man was crossing the line by…

He groaned low under his breath as his mind flashed back on the night before and his own line crossing, recalling everything that had transpired between Sakura and him and then afterward alone in his apartment. He remembered the way she'd kissed him, her lips soft and her tongue slipping tentatively into his mouth. The way she'd moaned for him when he'd touched her, the feel of her breasts rubbing against him, how she'd arched her neck and buried her fingers in his hair to encourage his wandering lips.

Damn it… what was he going to do? This was _not_ how he'd foreseen things panning out. He wanted Sakura to be attracted to him, yes. He just never thought the feeling would be mutual. And while reciprocated attraction normally wasn't a big deal, there were several things making _this_ particular instance incredibly complicated.

The idea of simply dropping the mission had definitely come to mind. Oh, he'd still defend his remaining _Icha Icha _book with every fiber of his being, but as for the other part of the lesson… he would simply let it go. But doing that would mean he'd be failing her as a team leader. This was the perfect opportunity for her to learn about a potentially dangerous situation out in the field while still within the safety of her home. He would be doing her a great disservice if he didn't suck it up and see it through to the end. But at the same time… he was going to hurt her. It was inevitable that she would feel betrayed, and rightly so. Even if he ignored his attraction to her, Sakura was still a friend. Was it really worth losing a friendship over a lesson she might not ever have to use in real life?

Kakashi was snapped from his thoughts by a familiar peal of bright laughter. He froze mid step and his eye widened a touch as he turned slowly in the direction of that voice. Sure enough, sitting in the small café directly across the street from him— the same one he'd seen her at a couple days ago, he noted— was Sakura. Just like the last time, she had a stack of books and neatly organized papers sitting on the chair next to her as she sipped an icy beverage through a straw. The waiter, a young civilian boy with blond hair that stuck out all over the place, grinned and said something to her that Kakashi couldn't quite catch but it made her laugh again. It was the sight of her bright green eyes glittering with delight that had him walking over there before he realized he was moving. It had nothing to do with the fact that he _really_ wasn't keen on how the boy had his hand planted on the table and was leaning down toward her.

He walked up behind her and planted his hand on top of her head, causing her to crane her neck back quickly to see who was messing up her hair. The minute she saw him, Sakura's lips spread in a warm, delighted smile— one he liked a whole lot better than the ones she'd been giving the waiter. "Hi!" she said brightly, her green eyes sparkling just for him now. "This is a surprise!"

"Pleasant or otherwise?" he joked, ignoring the way the waiter glanced between the two of them uncertainly. At least his hand was off the table and he'd moved back to a more respectful distance.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and he had to suppress the urge to bend down and kiss her. "That depends entirely on you. Are you busy? I've only got an hour for break, but if you wanna join me—,"

Kakashi was already sliding into the chair next to her, the one that put his back to the street and him between her and the very confused (and very cock blocked) waiter. "I can't think of anywhere more important to be," he replied, smiling when she caught the double meaning behind his words and blushed. Then, glancing over his shoulder as if he'd _just_ noticed the waiter standing there, he added, "Can we get a couple menus, please?"

The waiter's cheeks flared a little but he nodded quickly and mumbled, "Right away, sir." He was gone in a flash of white apron and red cheeks.

When he turned back to Sakura, it was to find her studying him with an arched brow and a disbelieving look on her face. "What?"

"Jealous much?" she asked dryly as she took another sip from her drink.

He watched her lips close over the straw and her cheeks hollow as she sucked. Straws… were horrible things. Whoever invented them needed only to see the way she used it to understand why they were horrible. "I'm not jealous."

"You ran off our waiter!"

"No, I didn't. I just asked for menus."

Sakura rolled her eyes and slouched back against her seat, crossing one leg over the other so that he had a very nice view of her legs. "So, other than being jealous and living in denial, what are you up to today?" she asked, changing the subject while simultaneously getting one last barb in.

Kakashi shrugged indifferently and lounged back in his chair, stretching his legs out so that they brushed against hers the barest amount. "Nothing much. You?"

"I was at the hospital all morning," she said, smiling at the waiter when he came back with their menus. Kakashi was very pleased to note that he didn't stick around longer than necessary to do the task. "The Kazekage's trying to build up their training program for medics, so I was showing the representatives around and explaining how we do things here. And this afternoon, I get to scrub in and observe Tsunade-shishou perform a surgery."

"Really?" His knowledge of the human body was limited to what would kill or disable someone the fastest, so it was interesting to hear her talk about fixing the damage he knew how to cause. Plus… the way her face lit up when she started talking about her job was rather addicting.

An excited glitter came to her eyes as she smiled and nodded eagerly. "It's a total leg reconstruction and it's extensive. Second and third degree burns, fractured bones, muscle and ligament damage… we're gonna be in there all afternoon!"

"You know, it'd creep out most people to hear you talk about extensive injuries with a smile on your face," he commented lightly. He chuckled as a crestfallen look crossed her features and reached out to give her knee a reassuring squeeze. "But then again, I'm not like most people."

"No, you're not," she huffed, nudging his thigh with her foot while trying to fight the urge to smile. "You're meaner."

"And by meaner, you actually mean charismatic and alluring, right?"

"I mean nasty and unappealing."

Kakashi arched a brow as a slow smile curved his lips. "Really? Because I heard you find me quite attractive."

Sakura's cheeks flushed brightly as she pointedly turned away from him, assuming a haughty demeanor. "Whoever told you that is lying."

"Mm… there's a good probability of that. That's too bad if they are though."

Immediately, her attention snapped back on him, her eyes a touch wide and her lips parted in surprise. He could see the way her breath caught, her breasts drawing up under the simple red cotton of her shirt. "R-Really?" she asked softly. "Why's that?"

He leaned forward, tracing a single finger along the bare skin exposed between her boots and shorts. The sound of her sucking in a breath was a sharp, hissing sound and he could feel her tremble at the slight touch. "Maybe," he said slowly, very aware of the way her breathing had become a little shallow and how her eyes were locked on where his finger was now drawing random circles and swirls across her leg. "It's just nice to have someone validate the fact that you're irresistibly sexy?"

It took a moment for his words to sink in and when they did he was dodging the palm swiping for the side of his head with an amused laugh. "Oh… you are such an arrogant, perverted—,"

"Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?" the waiter interrupted, flashing a sunshine bright smile at Sakura that made Kakashi arch a brow incredulously. Apparently, some people weren't inclined to take a hint.

Sakura stopped in mid rant and quickly fumbled to open her untouched menu. "Oh, I'll have the, um… Can I just get some miso soup and a side seaweed salad with tuna?"

"Excellent choice," the blond boy praised as he took her menu and turned inquiringly toward Kakashi. "And for you, sir?"

"The same is fine, thanks," he replied as he passed over his own menu without even looking at it.

The waiter's smile became calculatingly tight as he said through clenched teeth, "How… original, sir. I'll place your order immediately."

Kakashi shot a glare at the retreating boy's back and shook his head. "So much for a twenty-percent tip," he muttered while tapping his fingertip irritably on the tabletop.

Sakura leaned forward with her elbows on the table and her chin propped on her laced fingers, a sweet smile gracing her face. "Oh, so you're paying for lunch then?" she purred, her voice dripping with saccharine delight. "That's so thoughtful of you!"

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair while quickly trying to tally up just how much money he had on him. If his math was right… he maybe had enough for a bowl of soup and her drink. Rubbing his neck sheepishly while giving her what he hoped was a suitably contrite smile, Kakashi said, "Well, the thing is…"

Laughing, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Normally, the small act of public intimacy would have made him squirm, but for some reason with her… it didn't. "Don't worry, I've got this one," she assured him, her bottle green eyes twinkling mischievously. "But you've gotta make it up to me tonight."

"And just how am I doing that?" he questioned, running a fingertip over her knuckles gently.

Sakura twined their fingers together on the tabletop and the smile on her lips was equal parts affectionate and teasing. "There's a festival tonight down by the Shirakaba River. And I'd really like it if you went with me."

A festival. Those were just as much his thing as formal banquets. They were noisy and crowded and insanely overpriced… none of those particular attributes appealed to him very much.

Some of his trepidation must have shown because Sakura very quickly added, "If you don't want to or if you made plans already, that's fine. I can go by myself or something. I just thought… it might be fun."

Kakashi opened his mouth and was about to take her up on the offered rain check when his mind flashed back on what Asuma had told him about the banquet— most notably the many admirers Sakura had accrued. The words that came out of his mouth were not the polite refusal he'd been planning on. "Sure, what time?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock briefly before a delighted grin spread across her cheeks. Any lingering unease about his sudden change of mind was completely laid to rest when he saw how happy his acceptance made her. "Can you be at my place by five?"

"I can try."

She leaned back in her chair as the waiter came back with their food, her eyes still glowing merrily. "Thank you," she said softly, looking not at the waiter but at Kakashi.

The boy mistook her thanks and gave her another million-watt smile as he said, "Oh, it's no trouble, miss. If there's anything else you need, please let me know. Enjoy your lunch."

She was still beaming as she uncrossed her legs and settled her napkin in her lap. "It really will be fun, I promise," she gushed enthusiastically, picking up her chopsticks and pinching a bit of seaweed between them. "There'll be fireworks right above the Hokage monument and takoyaki stands and music and…"

Kakashi paused with a bite of tuna halfway to his mouth when her voice trailed off. He glanced at her and lowered his chopsticks to peer over each of his shoulders, pretending to try and locate what had caught her attention. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his brow lifting a little.

Sakura's mouth opened and closed a couple times but nothing came out. Shaking her head, she let her chopsticks fall to her plate as a deep, confused furrow pinched her brow and a rosy color stained her cheeks. "Sorry," she said distractedly, her gaze fixated completely on him. "But… your mask…"

A slow, amused smirk twitched at his lips and immediately her gaze became riveted by the slight movement. "Yes, what about it?" he drawled, scratching his bare jaw line casually. The decision to show her his face was completely spontaneous, though it was probably influenced in part by the way their waiter was damn near shameless about trying to flirt with her while he was sitting _right there._But her reaction— the way she was gaping slack jawed in total, bewildered shock— was completely worth it. Besides, he already knew she wasn't after a picture of him. There was no reason, besides his own perverse delight in tormenting her, to keep his face hidden any longer.

To her credit, she didn't pursue the subject any further. Sakura shook her head again and gave him a slow, warm smile in answer as she murmured, "Nothing. Forget I said anything." The look on her face as she took a bite of seasoned seaweed was probably the most affectionate one he'd received from her to date. Her eyes remained on him the entire time as he picked up his tuna once again and popped it into his mouth.

His gaze flickered to hers when she stifled an elated giggle and a wide grin behind her hand. "Stop it," he muttered around the fish in his mouth.

"Stop what?" she snickered, blowing across a spoonful of soup to cool it down.

"Stop watching me eat. It's disturbing."

Sakura nearly choked on her miso as she laughed, quickly covering her mouth with the napkin just in case. "I can't help it," she gasped, coughing lightly into the linen. "It's just… you're nothing like I imagined you to be."

"And just how often to you imagine me, Sakura-chan?" he asked in a low, personal tone as he leaned closer to her.

Her breath hitched visibly and a light flush tinted her cheeks at their sudden proximity. She licked her lips and he tracked the dart of her tongue with interest. "N-Not often at all," she breathed out, her eyes half-lidded and focused entirely on his mouth. "You're beautiful."

His eye narrowed irritably and he moved away from her, reaching down for his mask once again.

Her hand closed over his just as he began pulling the mask up over his chin, stopping his progress completely. Kakashi kept his eye open as she leaned forward and brushed a chaste kiss across his lips before sitting back again and favoring him with that sweet smile he was starting to get attached to. "You know, it's okay for men to be beautiful, too," she remarked, her eyes sweeping over his features as if to memorize them. "It's not an attribute inherent to women only."

"Well, we all have our insecurities," he replied dryly, giving a pointed glance to her forehead.

Sakura scowled at him and quickly fluffed the hair framing her face as if to detract from her own source of low confidence. "Being attractive isn't an insecurity."

"It is when you're a five-year-old boy getting ripped to pieces by his heartless classmates because one of the Academy instructors told you that you're as pretty as his daughters," he countered, stirring his soup idly. The story was true, but it wasn't why he started wearing a mask. There were several reasons for it really, one of which was that being attractive drew a lot of unwanted attention. In a ninja village, there were so many people walking around with their faces covered to various degrees that wearing a mask wasn't all that strange.

She winced at his admission and said quietly, "If it makes you feel any better, there's no way anyone could confuse you for a girl now. You're very manly."

Kakashi gave her a small, grateful smile for her attempt at patching up his battered ego and, just like before, her eyes fell to watching his lips once again. "You're forgiven, but if you don't stop watching me eat you're never going to see this again," he warned, only half joking.

Assuming a very grave expression, Sakura said in a solemn tone, "I swear I'll make every effort not to watch you eat your lunch. Did you know your smile is crooked?"

A chuckle escaped him and he could feel a bit of color coming to his own cheeks. He really wasn't used to this sort of attention from anyone, even the partners who had seen his face on a regular basis. "It is?"

She nodded, her eyes sparking with humor. "The right side lifts up a little higher than the left. I like it."

"Well, thank you. Glad to know all that practicing in the mirror has finally paid off." She stuck her tongue out at his joke and began poking at her salad once again. He returned to his food as well and pretended he didn't notice her shooting glances at him the entire time they had lunch.

Once they were done, the waiter cleared their dishes away and brought the check over. Sakura pulled out her wallet and paid while the blond boy gave Kakashi a disapproving glare for making his date pay. He almost wanted to tell the kid that he'd be paying for it later by letting her drag him around a festival all evening but refrained from doing so. Judging by the way his smile rivaled Gai's in glow power, he was probably the sort that really enjoyed festivals anyway. The waiter thanked them and they rose to leave, Kakashi fixing his mask in place again as Sakura scooped up her books and papers.

"Oh, before I forget… you left this a my place last night," Sakura said, carefully balancing her books and papers on one arm so that she could dig through her bag and pull out… yet another book.

Kakashi's eyebrows rose when he realized it was the mystery novel she wanted him to read. He took it from her and pretended to thumb through it curiously while trying not to think about the reason _why_ he'd forgotten to take it with him. "Thanks," he said, tucking it in the pouch right alongside the how-to book currently disguised as _Icha Icha Violence._ He'd decided it was probably a wise idea to stop carrying his beloved books around now that it was confirmed someone— Sakura or an outside agent— was after them. They'd already gotten their hands on one; he didn't think he could take it if the other went missing as well. Plus, Sakura would get suspicious if he only carried _Icha Icha Paradise _with him and might potentially forego her plans. That wouldn't be good… for several reasons.

Sakura glanced at him shyly, a sweet, rosy color to her cheeks as she adjusted her hold on the books. "You know… you didn't need to leave like that," she ventured softly, a smile that was equal parts timid and flirtatious flittering across her lips.

Kakashi jammed his hands in his pockets and carefully avoid her gaze. "Yes, I did. We were both tired and things were getting a little too… intense." That wasn't the word he wanted to use, but telling her that it'd been sexy as hell and had turned him on so bad he'd gone home and jerked off while thinking about her seemed a bit inappropriate.

She sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she fought not to grin, her eyes sparking with mischief before being obscured by her thick lashes lowering coyly. "I didn't mind. That kind of intensity was nice."

Dear god… this was _not_ the sort of thing his resolve needed right now! Kakashi tried to ignore the sudden stab of desire that shot straight down to his groin as he shifted his weight to one leg. Still though, he thought he deserved better praise than that it was _nice._ Taking a step closer to her, Kakashi said in a low, intimate tone that was for her ears alone, "Just nice? Judging by the way you reacted last night, I'd say it was a little more than that."

Her cheeks colored prettily as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. An eager, hungry look flared through her eyes, kindling a similar feeling inside him that had his cock half hard and crowding the front of his pants a bit. "It was _really_ nice," she breathed, her eyes lowering to stare at his covered mouth. "As in, I wouldn't be opposed if you… if you maybe wanted to…"

"There you are, Sakura-chan! Tsunade-sama's been looking for you. You're due in surgery in ten minutes!"

The sound of Shizune's disapproving voice broke them apart quickly, Sakura actually taking a couple steps back as her entire face went red. Kakashi wasn't much better, his own face feeling a bit warm at being caught having a rather private conversation by the Hokage's assistant, and his embarrassment increased when Shizune leveled a stern frown in his direction. "And shouldn't you be putting together a list of genin suitable for the exams, Kakashi-san?" the dark haired woman demanded, folding her arms across her chest. If and when the time came where Genma decided he wanted to have children… she was going to make a ferocious mother. She already had the mom tone down perfectly.

Kakashi let out a long, heavy sigh and met Sakura's eyes just as she bit back a giggle. Lovely… she was laughing at him for being scolded like a two-year-old. "Don't forget; five o'clock," she chuckled, walking backward toward where Shizune was waiting impatiently to drag her back to work.

"Okay. See you tonight, Sakura." His hand flicked an idle wave in her direction before he turned and headed off in the opposite direction with a semi-erect cock and a thoroughly thrashed ego.

Kakashi sighed heavily and tucked his hands in his pockets, being careful to avoid any contact with his crotch. Tonight was going to be long. His only consolation was that Sakura would probably be dressed up, which meant he'd at least have something pleasant to look at all night. But that in itself was going to be part of the problem; he still had no idea what he was going to do with her.

This was going to be one of the worst nights ever, he was sure of it.

* * *

Sakura flopped ungracefully onto the couch and scowled at the ticking clock. Even when the time she told him was a whole hour earlier than what she meant, the bastard _still_ managed to be late! Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru had all left nearly twenty minutes ago and were probably even now eating dango and staking out a spot to watch fireworks. And she was stuck waiting for her date to come pick her up. If Kakashi made himself so late they missed the festival, she was going to deck him and steal his books while he was too busy moaning in agony on the floor.

Sighing, Sakura leaned forward and picked up the book sitting on the coffee table. It was the one Kakashi had given her. She'd tried to start reading it on her break, but just one look at the cover brought up memories of the night before and… yeah. It wasn't really a good idea to enter surgery distracted, even if she was only observing.

A shiver ran through her as her mind reflected back on their impromptu lunch date. She had no idea what had driven him into showing her his face, but whatever it was… she couldn't thank it enough. There'd never been a doubt in her mind, despite all the theories concerning buck teeth and fish lips, that Kakashi was a handsome man. Just the reaction from Ayame that one time in Ichiraku Ramen was enough to confirm that. However, she'd never expected him to be quite _that_ handsome.

She couldn't believe that's what he was hiding behind the mask. His face was an interesting mix of lines and curves, of hard angles and soft transitions. Kakashi's features were such that if any one component were off in the slightest, the entire affect would be ruined completely. At the same time though, it wasn't a perfect face. There was a small bump in the bridge of his nose from where it had been broken at least a couple times in his life without being treated by a medic nin. A thin, pale scar cut across his chin, starting just below the left corner of his mouth and curving down to the edge of his jaw. And of course there was his smile; a slightly lopsided camber of lips, the right side tweaking just a little higher than the left.

Sakura closed her eyes and replayed the image of seeing Kakashi smile for the first time once more in her head. It had been such a strange, thrilling thing to see his face animated like that. She'd caught impressions of him smiling through the fabric that normally covered his face, but to actually _see_ his mouth move… to see the knowing smirk that said he was very aware of why she'd been staring… the slightly embarrassed lift of his lips when she'd told him he was beautiful… A warm, tingling feeling ran through her skin, causing her nipples to tighten as if the air were suddenly much cooler than it felt. Her cheeks flushed brightly as a burst of desire radiated through her— and all because she was thinking about his smile.

Shaking her head as if to clear it of that image, she regarded the book in her hands thoughtfully. Faint signs of wear and good use were all over the hard cover. The spine had a few cracks and some slight fraying where the pages were bound to it. There were tiny nicks across the surface, probably from being stashed in the same place as extra kunai and shuriken. She flipped it over and read the title curiously. _The Observations of a Wandering Ninja_… not exactly an attention grabbing title. Perhaps that was why Jiraiya's earlier work didn't sell very well.

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she regarded the dark green exterior, running her fingers along the engraved characters and noting the speckles of green poking through the gold leafing. Glancing around as if expecting to be caught doing something she knew she shouldn't, Sakura hesitantly opened the cover and flipped to the first page.

_The sun was mercilessly hot as it glared down from a bleached out heaven.__ I could already feel the tight, uncomfortable pull of burned flesh across my shoulders.__ It was so sweltering that any sweat my body produced evaporated immediately.__ Apparently, the cracked and broken earth my feet were trekking still had some moisture deep beneath the surface; vapors wavered and rippled across the horizon, skewing the border between land and sky. __My tongue was thick and dry, sticking to the roof of my mouth as the occasional grain of sand ground against my teeth.__ This was hell__…__ and the only escape was either by miracle or death. __At this moment, with my pulse throbbing across my scorched skin and my feet growing steadily heavier and harder to move, the latter seemed the more likely option for me._

Oh… wow. She couldn't believe someone who made a living off of selling trashy erotica was capable of something so… visceral. Jiraiya was certainly living up to all of Kakashi's praise! Sakura licked her lips as if they were as dry as the desert being described and eagerly flipped to the next page. She was only half way through the first paragraph when a soft knock came to the door, tearing her away from the vivid description of the wasteland environment.

She quickly dropped a strip of paper in the book to mark her spot and was on her feet in the next instant, hurrying to open the door. Kakashi was leaning against the door frame, his hands tucked in the pockets of his black slacks and the sleeves of his charcoal grey shirt pushed back to his elbows. It looked almost identical to what he wore everyday, save for the fact that his over shirt was grey rather than dark blue. She was a little disappointed he wasn't wearing traditional attire too… but at the same time, she _really_ liked how snug the grey shirt fit across his chest.

"Hi," she greeted with a smile, a little breathless from her haste was well as the sight of him. Her heart was beating just a little faster and a fluttery, anticipatory sensation was coursing through her stomach

Kakashi didn't say a word. His gaze swept her from head to toe and then… his face went ashen like he was about to be sick. Her smile faded and she noticed the slight bob in his throat as he ran a hand back through his hair in a very open display of discomfort. "Is that what you're wearing?" he asked, his voice cracking just a little.

Frowning, Sakura looked down at her yukata critically. She hadn't thought it looked bad when she pulled it out of her closet. The deep burgundy color she knew was a good match for her skin and hair tones and the bright pink cherry blossom design on the sleeves and lower hem gave it a bit of fun. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" she asked, smoothing her hands worriedly down her hips.

"Nothing," Kakashi said quickly and when she looked up she noticed that his ears were a little pink. Was he… blushing? He sighed heavily, the sound bordering close to a groan, and swiped a hand down his face. "There's nothing wrong with it but… is there anyway you could possibly change into something else?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed and her back stiffened angrily at his request. "Are you _kidding_ me?" she snapped, jabbing his chest sharply with one finger. "There is _no way_ I'm gonna take a fashion critique from a man who believes grey is adding color to his wardrobe! And a yukata is completely appropriate to wear for festivals!" She scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head in disbelief. What kind of man actually _told_ a woman to change her clothing, especially after she'd spent the last half an hour getting ready for him?

Kakashi closed his eye and pinched the bridge of his nose, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat. "Just… forget I said anything. Please?"

His tone was so contrite that she found herself forgiving him even before she rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Oh, alright! I mean, I guess the pattern is a little childish anyway…"

"Trust me, it's not the pattern." When she gave him a questioning glance, he just shook his head and added, "Never mind. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me get my shoes on." She shuffled over to where her zori were waiting and slipped her feet into place, wiggling her toes to adjust the thong comfortably before snagging her keys off the hook. Kakashi waited to one side as she locked up the apartment, dropping the key into her wrist purse. Sakura smiled up at him and took his hand as they headed down the stairs and out onto the street.

There was still a sliver of light in the sky, just enough so that the glow from the paper lanterns strung all up and down her street couldn't be seen. People were strolling down toward the river area, the women wearing brightly colored yukata while the men accompanying them were in more somber tones. Children were running excitedly ahead of their parents, their sandals slapping loudly on the pavement. This was the first big celebration Konoha had seen since Tsunade's birthday party, and it would more than likely be the last one they had until spring since the weather was getting increasingly less friendly. Despite the fact that the forecast called for clear skies, there was the unmistakable grey of rainclouds moving in across the rust tinted forest surrounding the village.

Sakura took a deep breath and savored the smell of autumn in Konoha. The typical musky scent of the forest was tinged a little sweeter due to the maple trees being tapped for their sap. Maybe, if they were lucky, there would be people selling maple candy at the festival. She glanced up at the man walking silently next to her and gave his side a gentle nudge. Kakashi glanced at her, his brow lifting questioningly, and all she did was grin back.

"What?" he asked, rubbing his thumb in slow, massaging circles along her hand.

A small giggle broke out as she shook her head. "Nothing, it's just… I'm really happy you decided to come." It was the truth, too. Just being able to spend time with him, regardless of her objective, was enough to make her head feel light.

Kakashi blinked at her in surprise before his eyes creased cheerfully as he smiled. He squeezed her hand affectionately and she returned the pressure. "So, what do you want to do first when we get there?"

Sakura hummed thoughtfully and tapped a finger against her lower lip. "Mm… I'm actually kinda hungry. Wanna get something to eat and then just wander around?"

He shrugged, tucking his free hand into his pocket. "That's fine. This is your date, so you're in charge."

A sly grin crossed her lips as she regarded him from the corner of her eye. "Really?" she questioned, her voice taking on a teasing tone as she turned to face him, walking backward. "So… I'm like the team leader then?"

"Don't push it. I'd hate to suddenly come down with a cold and be forced to cut our date short."

She burst out laughing and gave his arm a quick hug as they crossed over the wooden bridge spanning the Shirakaba River . The entire bridge was strung over in little white faerie lights and paper lanterns in various hues. At the other end an enormous archway had been constructed, one that had colorful paper strips hanging from it that fluttered in the light evening breeze. It opened directly onto the paved plaza area and the small park that spanned down in either direction of the wide, gently flowing river. As far as she knew, the land had belonged at one point in time to the First Hokage but it had been donated to the village to serve as a recreational park and celebration site.

Right now, the entire square and the flat stretch of grass that surrounded it for almost a half a mile to either side was filled with people; vendors selling food and goods, booths for games and fortune telling, parents running after their children, couples laughing as they held hands. The smell of cooking food and sweets filled the air, as did the slightly more acrid scent of cigarettes and alcohol. Sakura could just make out the adults only section that had been set up on the outskirts of the festival area, complete with a bar and tables for card and dice games. It was only about ten to seven and the bar area was already crowded with riotously laughing people deep into their cups.

They came to a stop just to one side of the entryway, Sakura standing on tiptoe to peer over heads and see what was around them. There was an artist drawing caricatures, a stall that wrote names on grains of rice, another selling expensive looking kimonos and hair accessories… Sakura's eyes widened eagerly and she gave Kakashi's hand a tug to get his attention. "Kakashi, look! Goldfish catching!"

"You want to catch a fish?" he asked wryly, letting her pull him through the crowd.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and said, "You're telling me you _don__'__t_ want to? Come on, it'll be fun!"

Kakashi shook his head slightly, the look on his face saying he wasn't convinced of that. She kept a hold of his hand as they made their way to the front of the crowd, smiling as the woman behind the large bin of fish handed her a small poi. Sakura wriggled her way to the front of the crowd and Kakashi followed right behind her, keeping one hand firmly on her hip. "Are you any good at this?" he asked, shaking his head when the girl behind the booth tried to give him a poi as well.

She shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Pretty good." It was a total lie; not once had she ever caught a fish, despite her many efforts. She'd come close once, but stupid Naruto had knocked it out of her poi and into his. And then _she__'__d_ knocked _him_ upside the head for stealing her goldfish. But something told her this time it would be different, that this time she would be getting her much coveted goldfish.

About twenty minutes later, Sakura decided whatever that something had been could kindly burn in hell. She squeezed the sleeve of her yukata and scowled as water dripped out onto the flagstones. Kakashi stood slightly behind her, his hand still clamped on her shoulder as if to prevent her from running back there and pummeling someone. "It's okay," he said with a hesitant edge in his voice. "I'm sure there's probably another fish stall you can try."

"That's not the point," she grumbled, twisting about to glare at the people clamoring to catch a fish. "I _had_ that one, anyone could see that! He purposely broke my poi and stole my fish!"

Kakashi sighed heavily and looked skyward as if asking for divine intervention. "Sakura… he's a six-year-old boy. I doubt he was purposely strategizing how to steal _your_ goldfish."

Sakura was still glowering as he steered her away from the scene. She was half soaked and didn't even have a goldfish to show for it! "Someone should say something to his parents at least."

"Hey, didn't you say you wanted something to eat? There's an unagi stand just over there that smells really good," he interjecting, purposely changing the subject while pointing a little further down the square to distract her from finding the boy's parents.

Her eyes followed down to where he was indicating and her stomach roiled hungrily as the scent of grilled eel hit her nose. Well… maybe it wasn't such a big deal after all. Like Kakashi said, there were more than likely other fish catching booths in the area. "Okay, sure. That sounds good, actually."

Kakashi let out a relieved breath and looped an arm around her waist as they headed toward the unagi stand, staying close together as they navigated the crowd. People were shuffling through the narrow gauntlet formed by closely packed stalls, laughing and having a good time. Vendors were shouting for people to come see their merchandise; children were being scolded by their mothers for wiping their dango covered fingers across their clothing… It was a nice change from the every day, that was for sure.

They managed to reach the unagi stand just as two men were getting up to leave and quickly slid into place on the stools. The girl running the stand smiled as she flipped a skewered eel over on the grill and asked, "How many?"

"Two, please," Sakura called, opening her purse for money. She looked up in surprise when Kakashi beat her to it, her jaw dropping open in surprise.

Kakashi looked at her and said, "I owe you for lunch, remember?"

"Well, yeah but… I didn't really expect you to actually _do _it. You've never paid anyone back as far as I'm aware."

"That's because _they_ don't look as pretty as you do."

She arched a brow and smiled teasingly. "Not even Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu?"

Kakashi shuddered and a slightly repulsed look flickered through his eye. "Do you want my eel, because suddenly I'm not feeling very good."

Sakura laughed and leaned into his side as the girl handed them two skewers of grilled eel apiece. "You're telling me you don't think he makes a pretty girl?" she joked, biting carefully into her hot food. Her eyes closed as she savored the taste of eel on her tongue and her stomach growled eagerly for more.

"Absolutely not," he scoffed, pulling his mask down just enough to take a bite. Both of them looked up at the loud clatter from behind the stand.

The girl mumbled an apology and ducked down to pick up the tongs she'd dropped, her face burning red and her eyes slightly dazed. Sakura couldn't blame her in the least. She was having a hard time not staring at him herself. "Why is that?" she pressed, sneaking glances at him while eating her food.

"The Sexy no Jutsu doesn't change the fact that underneath those blonde pigtails and breasts, it's still Naruto. And no offense to him, but he's not exactly my type."

She wrinkled her nose a little and nodded. "Mine neither."

"Are you talking about Naruto or Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu?"

"Both, you idiot," she laughed, rolling her eyes at his joke.

Kakashi arched a brow and glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he sucked a bit of eel sauce from his thumb. There was an even louder clatter from behind the stand and this time the girl didn't even bother hiding the fact that she was gaping at him. A stab of possessive jealousy burned through Sakura, prompting her to glower at the mesmerized female. Even if the unagi girl didn't pose a real threat (not that there was anything to feel threatened about since Kakashi was _not_ her boyfriend) Sakura had spent far too long competing with Ino for boys to simply let it slide.

Acting on impulse and without any warning to the man sitting beside her, Sakura grabbed hold of his wrist just as he was about to give his finger the same cleaning treatment. Both of Kakashi's eyes snapped wide open in shock, the sharingan swirling slightly in response to being uncovered. He watched her intently as she drew the tip of his finger between her lips, her tongue flicking out to taste the rich sauce staining the pad. His grey eye glazed over and the sharingan's pupil expanded to better memorize what it was seeing. Sakura smiled around his fingertip and slowly pulled away, very aware that more than one gaze was locked on her in disbelief.

"Not bad," she commented, letting his hand drop limply to his lap. "Maybe just a little more salt, but otherwise it's— mmph!"

Her words were cut off by the sudden press of his mouth to hers. For a moment, she was too stunned to respond to the slow, gentle slide of his tongue against hers but then instinct took over much like it did the night before and soon she was kissing him back, matching his unhurried rhythm easily. Her eyes closed and she moaned into his mouth while tilting her head slightly for a better angle.

He drew back and she made a protesting sound as she moved to follow him… but his mask was already back in place and he was pushing the money further across the counter toward the slack jawed girl on the other side. "You might want to flip those," he commented lightly, nodding toward the smoking eels on the grill.

The girl blinked in confusion but as soon as the smell of charred meat reached her nose, she gasped in dismay and quickly did as he suggested.

Sakura was still sitting in a daze, her fingers brushing over her tingling lips absently, as he stood up and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Jealous much?" He was throwing her accusation from earlier back at her, she realized that, and it should have annoyed her. It didn't. Instead, the smooth, low timber of his voice sent a tremble down her spine and a quick pulse between her legs. Her eyes closed again as her breath left her in a shuddering puff. She heard him take a deep breath along the skin of her neck and swallowed hard.

Then, he was pulling away from her, catching her hand and tugging her numbly off her stool. She managed to keep herself from falling as her knees gave a little wobble. Kakashi glanced back at her and the mischievous twinkle in his eye told her he was aware of her near stumble. Blushing, Sakura fell into step as he took the lead, winding them through the crowd and around various stalls.

They roamed the festival site together, stopping on occasion whenever something happened to catch her eye. She ended up splurging on a set of barrettes that were shaped like tiny green leaves as well as two thin scarves that would match a couple outfits of hers. Kakashi seemed content just to tag along and let her explore, showing interest only once when they passed a vendor selling ukiyo-e prints. He'd barely gotten his hands on a picture of a woman with her kimono slipping down her body when Sakura had grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him out of there, her cheeks stained a deep crimson color. Trust him to find porn at a village celebration! Although, if she was being honest with herself… the print she'd spotted near the entrance of two men embracing passionately was _very _nice.

At one point in the evening, they bumped into Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji leaving a Korean Barbeque stand and immediately the two girls began comparing their purchases, ignoring the men completely while they made plans to meet up later for the fireworks. Sakura didn't realize Kakashi had left until she was waving goodbye to Ino. She turned around… and her smile slipped completely when she noticed Kakashi was holding a bagged goldfish.

Her eyes narrowed on the white and yellow splotched fish swimming lazily in its bag and a tiny bit of excitement sparked through her. "You went goldfish catching without me," she observed while trying to maintain a mature, composed demeanor. Inside though, she had a very good idea of what he was up to and was busy squealing and jumping around giddily.

Kakashi glanced down at the fish as if just now noticing he was holding it and said, "Oh this? I mugged it off of some punk five-year-old."

"Wow, that must have been an epic battle," Sakura remarked, a smile tugging at her lips as he handed the bag over to her.

He sighed dramatically and rotated his right shoulder as if it were stiff. "You have no idea how brutal five-year-olds can be."

Sakura snickered and poked at her fish through the water filled bag. "He's really cute, isn't he?"

"If you say so. I'm not a fish connoisseur so I can't really say."

"He's cute," she assured him as she looped her arm around his waist. "So, do you wanna go watch the fireworks now? Ino said they've got a spot already and that we can join them. If you want to, that is."

Kakashi settled his arm across her shoulders, his fingers toying with the sleeve of her yukata absently. "Well… it'd be a shame to miss the main event, don't you think?" he mused, his eyes creasing as she grinned excitedly up at him.

Sakura gave him a quick, grateful hug and led the way down to the viewing area that was situated right along the river's edge. Kakashi stayed close to her the entire way, his body keeping her warm against the crispness that had crept into the night air. In a way, she almost _didn__'__t_ want to join the others for the fireworks. One of her biggest romantic fantasies involved watching fireworks from a rooftop with someone she cared about. For the longest time, that someone had always been Uchiha Sasuke. Now though…

She glanced up at Kakashi's profile and a soft smile came to her lips. Now, she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather share that fantasy with than the man walking next to her. Sakura stopped in her tracks, causing Kakashi to lift a questioning brow. "Something wrong?" he asked, rubbing his hand down her arm reassuringly.

She shook her head, her eyes darting across the lawn to where she could just make out the small pavilion area Ino had told her to go toward. "No, nothing's wrong," she said, her fingers curling around his when he took her hand. "Just… can we maybe go somewhere else to watch the fireworks instead? Somewhere maybe… not so crowded?"

A flash of something dark and hot flickered in Kakashi's grey eye, sending a shiver down her spine and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Somewhere a little more private," he added, making it a statement rather than a question.

Pink tinted her cheeks and her heart sped up dramatically at the way he said that. Swallowing anxiously and unable to lift her gaze higher than his chest, Sakura gave the barest of nods. She almost swore she heard him sigh under his breath before his hand tightened more securely around hers. "I know a good spot, but it'll require some climbing. Are you game?"

Sakura nodded once again. "I'm game," she replied, her voice a little breathy sounding.

Kakashi took a deep breath in and released it slowly as he too looked out over the crowd of laughing, happy people. His face was carefully composed; it was the sort of expression people gave when they didn't want you guessing at their thoughts. Sakura waited patiently while he deliberated, one hand still clutching her goldfish and the other clasped around his.

Finally, Kakashi came out of his thoughts and tilted his head back in the direction they'd just come from. "Let's go."

Sakura followed alongside him, jogging in order to keep pace, as he led her off the festival grounds completely and back over the Shirakaba Bridge. She had no idea where he was taking her and quite frankly it didn't really matter. All she cared about right then was getting there and watching the fireworks with someone she cared about.

Oh, and trying to steal his book, of course.

* * *

In terms of bad ideas… this had to be in the top ten for worst ever. It didn't require a genius level reasoning to know that it was really stupid to be alone with her only a day after having his hand up her shirt, especially when she was wearing a yukata and he, coincidentally enough, had a kimono fetish. This was the very sort of thing he would expect to read in a romantic comedy, except it wasn't so funny when it concerned him.

Kakashi glanced at her from the corner of his eye and felt yet another excuse to get out of this die on his tongue when he saw the contented look on her face. Genma was right; Sakura _had_ fallen for him. There was no way she could contrive that level of blissfulness without years and years of practice. Her expression was completely unguarded, allowing her thoughts and feelings to show as clearly as if she'd said the words.

This should have pleased him. After all, that was the whole point of him dating her; to teach her the perils of seducing someone for gain. Instead, it left him feeling a little sick and more than a bit confused. It shouldn't have _mattered _that he was attracted to her. He shouldn't have any trouble separating personal from professional, but that was exactly what was happening. He was letting whatever feelings he had for her get in the way of a life lesson.

It was almost embarrassing how weak his self-control was around her nowadays. She had him doing things he _never_ did, not for anyone or anything. Going to festivals, actually paying for food… kissing in public. Granted, he'd been very careful about making sure Sakura and the unagi girl were the only witnesses to that, but he'd still kissed her full out (and with tongue, too) in the middle of a crowded festival. The last time he'd kissed someone so publically was when he was twenty-two and on a mission in Lightning Country… and it had been with Gai. Their target had a _real_ soft spot for man love, so they'd exploited that for all it was worth.

Just thinking about that particular kiss made an unpleasant shudder run down his spine. They'd both agreed to exclude _that_ part from the mission report and each of them swore an oath on their lives never to tell anyone about it. To this day, neither of them has broken that pact.

Kakashi let out a low breath, his thumb rubbing lightly against her hand. Perhaps he _should_ just put an end to this now, before it got any more complicated than it already was. He could confront her about her plans, let her know that he'd been aware from the start and had gone along with it in order to teach her a lesson. She would undoubtedly be pissed and he'd probably have to stumble his way to the hospital once she was through with him, but maybe once things settled down a bit they could—

"Oh! The Hokage Monument is a _perfect_ spot to watch the fireworks, Kakashi!" she said excitedly, tugging his hand to get him to speed up as she jogged quickly toward the long, steep steps carved into the towering hillside. "Hurry or we'll miss the opening!"

"You know, it'd be quicker if we just walked up the side of the mountain," he observed as he took the stairs two at a time, trying _very_ hard to ignore the sight of her bare legs as she hiked her yukata up to follow noisily after him. Her zori slapping loudly against the stone steps sounded like a very awkward applause and she couldn't use the handrail what with all the fabric she was holding up.

"Probably, but it'd be damn difficult to do in these shoes," she retorted, scowling as one of her sandals slipped awkwardly under her foot.

Kakashi sighed heavily and dropped to one knee. "Climb on."

"What?"

"Climb on. The launching pontoons are in position and you said you didn't want to miss the opening."

Sakura hesitated, her brow creasing uncertainly as she glanced between the stairs and his offered back. "But… are you sure?" she pressed.

"It's fine. You're not _that_ heavy." He grunted when she slapped the side of his head. It was open handed, thankfully, but it still made a few spots dance in front of his eye.

"I'm not heavy at all, you jerk!" she snapped while looping her arms around his neck.

Kakashi refrained from pointing out that some people _would_ consider a one hundred pound girl rather heavy and instead reached back to get a good grip on her thighs. His eyes closed and he had to suppress a groan when his fingers met with bare skin; her yukata was still bunched up and pinned between her hips and his back. He stood and tried very hard to ignore not only the stirring in his pants but how incredibly soft her skin was. "Hang on," he cautioned and immediately regretted doing so when she pressed herself tighter to his back so that he could now feel the gentle swell of breasts beneath her clothing.

He stood up, channeled chakra to his feet and pushed off the ground. Sakura yelped in surprise at the sudden burst of speed and tightened her arms a little further around his neck. It took maybe a minute at most for him to scale the Hokage monument, but it felt like an eternity when his senses were being drowned by her; the crisp, citrusy scent of her shampoo invaded his nose, her breaths were hot against his ear, he could feel the muscles in her thighs under such smooth, addictive skin. By the time they reached the top of the monument, Kakashi was hard and wishing like hell he hadn't done that.

Sakura seemed completely oblivious to how affected he was as she scampered down his back and raced as fast as her slapping zori would allow through the small stand of trees out onto a wide, flat stretch of rock. The trees were actually part of the private garden running around the entire estate that served as housing for the Hokage. Kakashi could just make out the tiled rooftops of the outer buildings over the trees and the dim, yellow flicker of light shining through windows.

Originally, the Hokage's estate had been down by the Shirakaba River, but during the Nidaime's reign he decided to keep living in his own house at the top of the mountain due to the fact that it was more secure. And since the Hokage lived at the top of the mountain, it made sense then for the ANBU headquarters to be located there as well. One of the first tasks assigned to rookies in those ranks was guard duty around the perimeter of the property. It was boring as hell, which was why the senior members thrust it upon their subordinates.

He followed Sakura onto the outcropping that ran right to the edge of the craggy mountainside. The worn spikes that formed the Sandaime's hair stabbed upward against the night sky and served as the only barrier between anyone admiring the view and a long drop downward. Wooden benches that had been there since before he was born were positioned a safe distance back from the precipice. They were worn and bore a few scars but the high polish catching faintly in the moonlight said that they had been well cared for over the years.

Sakura sat down on a bench that had a perfect view over the village and festival site, neatly crossing her ankles to one side and fussing with her yukata until it lay flat against her curves. She smiled over her shoulder at him when she noticed he wasn't moving and patted the spot alongside her. "Hurry up, they're about to start," she encouraged, a trace of laughter creeping into her words. "And I could use someone to snuggle with. It's _freezing_ up here!"

Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek and suppressed a frustrated groan. Snuggling was about the _last_ thing he needed right then… but she was giving him that hopeful, happy look again and soon enough he was sitting down next to her. Sakura's smile widened in delight as she wriggled herself more comfortably into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. His breath caught a little when she placed a hand on his thigh, right above his knee, and squeezed.

They sat quietly together on top of the small mountain, looking out over a village that was nothing more than colored lights and the dark outlines of buildings. A breeze swept by, tugging at hair and clothing. She shivered and he pulled her in closer to him despite the fact that the smell of her shampoo was trying to destroy the last shreds of his self-control. Her cheek rubbed against his shoulder and his hand tightened hard around the arm of the bench to keep from turning the scant inch needed in order to kiss her.

"Ooooh… look!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, pointing out over the village. A shrill whistle split the air, followed by the chest rattling crackle and boom of a rocket exploding. The entire village was bathed in red and green light and the excited cheers from the festival goers were so loud he could hear it all the way up here.

Kakashi smiled faintly and settled back to watch Sakura rather than the fireworks. She was leaning forward eagerly, excited little sounds coming from her with each new burst of light overhead. Her bright green eyes were round and glittering, reflecting back the colors that bathed her pale skin in various hues. With that overjoyed smile and the way the fireworks lit her against the backdrop of the night sky…

She looked _beautiful_.

It wasn't exactly a stunning revelation. He'd noticed for a while now just how attractive she was. What actually had his breath catching was how much that natural, effortless beauty affected him. She wasn't doing anything even remotely sexual and yet her open, honest joy was enough to make a smile cross his face and send a warm sensation through his chest.

"Did you see that one, Kakashi?" she asked, turning toward him with an ecstatic grin. "They made the Leaf insignia in the sky! Wasn't that the prettiest thing you've ever seen?"

He almost wanted to tell her that it honestly wasn't. The prettiest thing he'd seen in a while was sitting next to him and cooing happily over some fancy rockets. Kakashi smiled back, nodding his head toward the fireworks. "They certainly are something."

Sakura's smile was soft and there was no mistaking the gentle affection in her gaze as she scooted a little closer to him, drawing her knees up onto the bench while her fingers plucked at the simple cotton fabric of her yukata. Her lower lip caught between her teeth as she snuck glances at him from the corner of her eyes. "So… last night," she began shyly, a brilliant burst of white light illuminating her face enough for him to see that her cheeks were a little pink.

He nodded slowly and repeated, "Last night." He'd had a feeling she would want to talk about it, but he'd been hoping she would perhaps put it off until tomorrow… when she wasn't wearing a yukata and he was a little more in control of himself than he was currently.

"I just wanna make sure you know everything's okay. With us."

Kakashi blinked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Come again?"

Her cheeks darkened further and she quickly lowered her lashes, staring somewhere around the middle of his chest. "Well, what I mean is… you said earlier that things were maybe moving a bit fast. I… I wanted you to know I was okay with it. With last night, I mean."

He smothered back a groan and scrunched his eye closed. Her words cut right through his resolve and brought back the memories of just how _okay_ she'd been... of how she'd kissed him so eagerly, of the heat he'd felt as she'd straddled his lap and rubbed herself against his chest. Kakashi released his breath slowly, trying to maintain the thin thread of control he had left. He'd never had trouble before staying composed, whether it was on a mission or with a companion. But there was something about _her_ that shattered him. She was like a sledgehammer to his senses; a sweet, hot-tempered, undeniably attractive sledgehammer who'd probably kill him for even thinking that about her.

Kakashi was snapped out of his thoughts when she shifted next to him. He leaned back when she moved as if to kiss him and said quietly, "You'll miss the show if you do that."

Sakura paused, her mouth temptingly close to his and replied just as softly, "There'll be other fireworks."

His breath was locked somewhere between his chest and throat as anticipation flooded through him. As long as he wasn't the one making overtures, there wasn't a problem. If it wasn't him initiating the kissing, the touching— the intimacy— then he wasn't breaking any rules. Sure. Right. A shiver ran through him as she ghosted her lips over his, so soft he barely felt it through the mask. Her eyes were still partially open, watching him for his reaction as she moved in to place another, more solid kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He groaned softly, the sound hardly audible to his own ears, as the feel of her pliant lips sent a surge of arousal straight to his groin. Only half aware of what he was doing, Kakashi brought his hand to her cheek, brushing his fingers along her jaw tenderly as their mouths met for a third time… a fourth time… and then she was twisting around for a better angle, her breasts brushing across his arm…

They jerked apart sharply at the sound of twigs snapping and soft, feminine giggling coming from just inside the tree line. Two figures emerged from the forest, both of them obviously female. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they had company, as they made plenty apparent when the taller of the two spun the other around for a very passionate kiss. It was full of groping hands, wet sounds and hungry moans, none of which were helping him keep his blood at a suitable elevation. All that came to mind right then was last night with Sakura and the way she'd moaned for him.

A round of fireworks went off overhead, causing the two women to part and turn toward the display with soft smiles… that instantly faded when they realized they weren't alone up there. Sakura made a choked sound of recognition, covering her mouth with one hand and practically crawling behind him to avoid being seen.

The women vacated the scene with the sort of speed only ninja were capable of but it was too late. There was no denying that one of the females was a Konoha medic… and the other was Temari of Suna.

Several minutes passed in which they both sat in utter silence. Finally, Sakura let out a low, shaky breath and said, "Well… that was interesting."

"Mm," he replied noncommittally while trying to think of anything other than how soft her mouth was against his.

"Ino's never gonna believe this."

He glanced at her as she sucked on her lower lip. Kakashi very casually shifted so that his fly wasn't digging so badly into his groin. "Oh?"

Sakura nodded slowly before turning to give him a wide, wicked grin. "She's been complaining for a while now about Shikamaru dating Temari-san. I guess she doesn't need to worry about that anymore."

Kakashi smiled and gave a short, dry laugh as he raked a hand back through his hair. "So, you plan to tell Ino about all that?" he questioned, letting his head fall back against the bench. Even though his eyes were closed, he could still make out the pattern of lights erupting up above. Judging by the rapidity of the explosions and the wild cascade of colors, the fireworks display seemed to be reaching its finale.

His eye cracked open when Sakura fit herself in along his side, tentatively resting her head on his chest. When all he did was settle his arm around her, she relaxed fully into him, her fingers plucking idly at the fabric covering his knee. "No," she replied, sighing contentedly into his shoulder. "It was pretty obvious Temari-san doesn't want anyone finding out about her relationship. I trust Ino to keep her mouth shut if I tell her to, but that still doesn't give me the right to share this kind of information."

He nodded, combing his fingers lazily through the ends of her hair. "That's probably for the best. I'm sure Temari would appreciate the courtesy."

Sakura smiled faintly and smoothed her hand over a crease in his pants— one that was decidedly too far on the inside of his thigh to be completely innocent. "So… the fireworks are almost over," she said, tipping her head back to better see him.

Kakashi took a deep breath in and released it, realizing belatedly what a mistake that was since it filled his nose with the sweet scent of her. Why did she have to smell so damn edible? "So it would seem," he replied, keeping his voice carefully neutral while trying to ignore the way her fingers traced random patterns along the inside of his leg.

"Which I guess technically means the date's coming to an end, too."

He knew what she was driving at, but right at that moment… he really didn't think he had the willpower to resist. Kakashi stood up and stretched, the series of pops that ran down his spine sending pleasant tingles through his back. "We should probably get going then."

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, a thin trace of disappointment coloring through her words.

Kakashi tucked his hands in his pockets and waited as she straightened her yukata fussily, his eye following her hands eagerly as they slid over the simple cotton fabric. She seemed completely unaware of his interested gaze as she straightened and sighed in satisfaction. A slight frown came to her face as she picked up the bagged goldfish that had been sitting on the bench next to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she ran her hands across her obi searchingly.

"Nothing, I just want to have my hands free, that's all." Her tongue peeked out from the corner of her mouth as she tugged the sash up, revealing the slimmer ties underneath. Kakashi watched as she undid the belt just enough to slip the ends of the plastic bag between the folds, her brow furrowing as she tried to hold the bag in place while simultaneously knotting the fabric. Letting out an exasperated gasp, Sakura met his gaze and asked, "Can you help me, please?"

A bead of sweat slipped down the back of his neck. There had to be a higher authority working against him tonight, he was sure of it. If he refused to help do something as simple as secure a goldfish (one he really regretted catching now) to her belt, then she would be upset. If he did help her though… Kakashi took a deep, calming breath and steeled himself mentally as he knelt on the ground in front of her. He could do this and do it without losing his control or sanity. "What do you want me to do?" he asked with just the barest hint of huskiness to his voice.

"Either hold the fish or tie the knot, whatever one you want to do."

Holding the bag would put his hand dangerously close to her hip— and other areas as well. He took the loose ends of her belt while she held the bag steady and worked quickly to tie it securely, making sure it was tight enough the first time around so that he didn't have to do it again. The entire time his knuckles brushed across crisp cotton and smooth curves, he swore that damn fish was laughing at him. He was up on his feet again before she'd even finished tugging her obi down over the ties again.

Sakura arched a brow and commented dryly, "Gee, you were sure quick. I would have thought you'd _want_ to get your hands on my clothing."

If she had any idea how true that was right now, she wouldn't have made that joke. Rather than tease her back like he normally would have, Kakashi cleared his throat and nodded toward the steps leading back down to the village. "Ready now?"

She nodded slowly, a questioning look flickering across her face briefly before she smiled and reached out to take his hand. "I don't suppose I could get another ride down the stairs, could I?" she laughed.

"Ah, no. That was a one time only deal."

Her laughter was light and pleasant and brought out an answering smile from him, one that died quickly when she hugged his arm briefly to her chest. "Alright, fine," she relented, patting his forearm gently. "Going down is easier anyway."

Kakashi actually had to bite his lower lip to keep from groaning. He knew her words were completely innocent, but hearing her talk about going down while wearing that damn yukata… naturally, his mind wandered to other places. Such as a clean, simple room with a couple of tatami mats and shoji doors where she would be kneeling and…

He very nearly missed the first step and had to catch himself on the handrail to keep from twisting his ankle. Sakura shot him a bemused look, her brow pinching slightly as she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, fine. Never better," he replied breezily while making certain to focus on his footing rather than the very tempting images his subconscious kept teasing him with.

She nodded, though it was obvious she didn't quite believe him. Fortunately though, she didn't press the issue. They headed back toward the village, her leaning contentedly against his arm and him trying very hard not to notice how supple her breasts felt. He couldn't wait to get her home so that he could go back to his quiet little apartment and spend the night in a cold shower. And in the morning… he needed to talk out what exactly he was going to do about Sakura with someone else. Sadly though, the list of people who knew the full circumstances was limited to Gai and Genma.

How the hell was he supposed to choose between those two evils?

* * *

Ino huffed impatiently, straining to see over the seated crowd around her. Overhead, the fireworks were entering their finale. Riotous bursts of light colored the upturned faces around her and illuminated the lawn on the river's edge, giving her a clear view of their surroundings. There were lots of people she knew by sight… but no signs of Sakura or Kakashi.

Damn it, where were they? Sakura had said they would meet up and watch the fireworks together. Maybe Kakashi was making her late? Or maybe they were still trying to fight through the press of people to get there? Or maybe—

"They're not coming, Ino."

Ino whipped around and glowered so threateningly at Shikamaru that the dark haired boy actually cringed and carefully put a little distance between them. "You don't know that! Kakashi-sensei's _always_ late."

Shikamaru's brows rose slowly as he glanced pointedly up at the brightly lit sky. "Yeah, he's always late… but do you honestly think Sakura would let him be so late that they miss the entire show? Especially when she's with him?"

She scowled and stubbornly returned to searching the crowd for a familiar pink head of hair. "Stop projecting on me," she grumbled. "Just because your _Sand girlfriend_ didn't show up…"

"For the last time, Temari is _not_ my girlfriend," he groaned, scrubbing a hand roughly down his face. "We're just working together for the annoying chuunin exams, that's all."

A sly smile quirked her lips as she regarded him mischievously. "Oh, really?" she purred. "You two were awfully friendly at the banquet last night."

"Uh… yeah. We kinda had to be. It wouldn't look good if the ambassador from Suna was arguing with one of the chuunin examiners, now would it?" His tone suggested this should have been a painfully obvious fact.

Ino sniffed and waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever, have it your way." Shikamaru made a scoffing sound, but she didn't pay it any mind as she continued looking around for her missing friend. It was more than likely just Kakashi making them incredibly late. Sakura wouldn't stand her friends up without a good reason. Maybe she was in the middle of relieving him of his book? Oh, yeah, speaking of which… "Hey, Shikamaru, I need to ask you something."

"No."

"You don't even know what I was gonna ask, dumb ass!"

"Yes I do and no, I won't help," he insisted stubbornly, casting a mild glare at Chouji when the boy gave his side a sharp elbow jab.

"At least hear her out," Chouji requested, though with the way he was scowling at his friend it came out more as an order.

Sighing, Shikamaru shook his head and mumbled, "Alright, fine. What's the status on Sakura and the Mission That Should Never Have Been Started in the First Place?"

Wow… he really _did _know what she was gonna ask! And here she thought he was just being a jackass. "Well," Ino began, stretching out alongside him. "There's been a change in the plan."

"She's gonna quit?" His snort of laughter quickly turned into a surprised yelp as Ino smacked the top of his head hard. "Damn it, woman… that hurt!"

"Of course it did! Now then, what's happened is that Sakura's gone and fallen for him."

Shikamaru remained quiet, but judging by the look on his face he was all but bursting to make some kind of sarcastic comment to that. He very wisely kept his mouth shut though, a fact that put a satisfied smirk on Ino's face. "Anyway," the blonde continued, noting that Chouji was now listening intently as well. "The new objective is to try and steal the books without him realizing it was her so that she can keep dating him."

There was a beat of silence that was broken by the excited murmurs and cries from the audience around them. Ino waited, eyes trained on Shikamaru, to hear what he had to offer in way of strategy. Finally, after letting out a long exhale, the dark haired boy muttered, "Gee, why doesn't she add the damn moon to the list?" He yelped again as her open hand connected with the top of his head. "Y'know, hitting me isn't exactly making me agreeable here!"

"You weren't being very agreeable to begin with!" she snapped irritably. "Now then… back on the topic of Sakura and Kakashi; how can she get those books and keep him?"

Two sets of eyes watched the genius in their group closely as he rubbed his abused head, his lips twisting a little as he ran over different scenarios. "Alright," he said slowly after a very long pause. "There's no way she can just take the books off him. You'd have to be a topnotch jounin at the very least to steal something from him and get away with it. And I'm assuming, since you're asking me again and you said she'd fallen for her target— which is, tangentially speaking, a really stupid thing to do— that she can't just get close to him to try and attempt a pickpocket anyway, not without getting… distracted. So, that leaves only one real opportunity for acquiring the books."

"Which is…?" Ino prompted, grinning excitedly at her teammate. Sakura was gonna _love_ her for this!

"Which is… taking them when he's got home advantage."

Both Ino and Chouji blinked in confusion, the blonde pushing herself upright to frown down at him. "Wait… are you saying Sakura needs to go over to his house, stage a break in and grab them from there? What if he's in there?"

Shikamaru groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, which seemed a little counterproductive since he was also thunking his head repeatedly against the ground. "I'm not talking about a break in, Ino. That'd fail miserably. What I'm saying is that she needs to get herself _invited_ over to his place. Kakashi-sensei would never expect her to try and steal his books from right under his nose, especially in his own house. His guard will be lowered a bit. And to keep him from discovering the theft for a little while, she needs to leave a Henge no Jutsu'd book in its place so that he doesn't become suspicious. Then she Henge no Jutsu's _Icha Icha _to look like a book she would normally carry around and walks out the door with it. So long as she can keep him from reading _Icha Icha _for maybe… say, a week or two minimum, then there's no evidence that she was the one to do it."

Ino's jaw hung slack in stunned silence at the simple brilliance of that plan. Why the hell hadn't _she_ thought of that? She had to try twice before she managed to croak out, "That… could actually work."

He rolled eyes and said, "I don't know why she's even bothering though. I mean, it's obvious to anyone that he— Ow! _Goddamn_ it, Ino, stop hitting me!"

"Then stop being so unpleasant! I _know_ Forehead can do this."

Shikamaru scowled at her but did nothing more than shake his head and mumble something under his breath. None of them said a word for quite a while; Ino and Shikamaru were busy ignoring each other and Chouji was looking from one to the other as if trying to decide whether he should side with his best friend or the girl he happened to have romantic feelings for.

Fortunately for him, he never had to make that choice. After a few minutes of seething silence, Ino reached across with her right hand and held it out wordlessly to Shikamaru. He took her hand and they shook once, quickly and firmly. "So… what do you wanna do now that the fireworks are done?" he asked, now that a truce had been made.

Ino shrugged and picked her head up to look at Chouji. "Any ideas?"

"I'm almost outta mochi," he commented, rubbing his belly as it gurgled at the mention of the sweet treats. "Maybe if Okashigaiku's still open we could…"

Shikamaru's lips twitched at the corners as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It'd be cheaper than buying it from here anyway," he replied before breaking off into a wide yawn.

"And they've got that low fat green tea ice cream, too," Ino added, smiling warmly when Chouji hurried to offer her a hand up. She missed the shrewd look their darker haired companion shot them as she hastily dusted off her yukata.

"Hey, either of you know what time it is?" Shikamaru asked as casually as possible as he stretched his back out.

Ino popped her head up and squinted up at the moon that was just beginning to arch down the other side of the sky. "Maybe… about ten?"

Shikamaru winced and cursed under his breath sharply. "Great… I'm late for my curfew. My mom wanted me back at the house by ten. She's such a pain in the ass."

"Oh, okay. Want us to pick something up for you?" the blonde suggested, ignorant of the grateful look Chouji was giving to his best friend.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Maybe next time, though. See you guys tomorrow!"

Ino raised her hands to her mouth and hollered at his retreating back, "Don't forget; seven in the morning by the south gate!" He waved back over his shoulder to acknowledge he'd heard her before disappearing in the crowd. She waited until he was no longer in sight before turning with a bright smile to Chouji. "So… looks like it's just you and me. Seems to be happening a lot recently, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, his voice a slightly higher octave than he'd wanted. Shikamaru was the best friend a guy could ever hope for.

"You know, if we're not careful people might start to think we're dating," she laughed over her shoulder.

Chouji's shoulders slumped and his disappointed sigh went completely unnoticed as she led the way back into the village.

* * *

Sakura paused outside the main entrance of her apartment building and turned to face Kakashi with a smile. The familiar lightheadedness that came when she knew she was about to kiss him flooded through her, leaving her feeling warm all over. She smoothed a hand down his chest, her eyes not quite able to meet his, and swallowed down her nervousness as she daringly hooked her fingers into his belt to draw him closer. The goldfish he'd won for her was still dangling from her hip and seemed content to keep swimming lazily for just a little longer.

Which was good, considering she was about to make an attempt at pickpocketing Kakashi.

He'd already demonstrated that he could be distracted by her. That scratching incident at Omajinai was proof of that. All she had to do was keep him occupied with her while she somehow (she wasn't quite sure how yet) kept her wits about her to reach around his back to take the book. It wasn't an ideal plan, but at least it was something. And if he happened to catch her, well… she'd think of something.

Kakashi's hands came to rest on her hips briefly before sliding around to her back, his fingers just barely grazing the beginning curves of her rear. A quick, hot burst of pleasure went through her at that teasing brush, causing her to shift a little in an attempt to get more definite contact. He resisted, adjusting his hold on her to accommodate her movements. She realized he was still being mindful of how he handled her, just as he had been last night. While part of her was touched at how gentlemanly he was, the other part of her was frustrated to no end that he was still as in control as he was. It hardly seemed fair for him to be so cool when she felt like she was about to melt any minute.

"So, are we even now?" he asked, his fingers massaging her lower back gently.

If she weren't a little dizzy already from his proximity, she definitely would have been now. Hatake Kakashi's hands were good for more than just forming seals in seconds flat. She shook her head, a slight frown touching her lips. "Even for what?"

"For lunch today. You said I could make it up to you at the festival."

Oh, right. She'd forgotten all about that. If anything, she probably owed him now, seeing as he'd not only bought her food but also endured goldfish catching at her expense. Still though... he _had_ been late in meeting her. She supposed a little more retribution was in order. Sakura gave an indifferent shrug and traced a finger along his collarbone and up his neck until she could feel his pulse. She smiled softly when she felt that steady rhythm falter before taking up a quicker beat; apparently, he wasn't as in control as she'd thought.

"Mm... almost," she replied, her breath catching a little as he gently steered her back against the side of the apartment complex. The stone was cool enough to leach through the fabric of her yukata and her body arched away from it slightly, pressing closer to his front.

"Almost?" he repeated, his voice low and carrying that deliciously smooth tone that never failed to make her shiver. Her next exhale was stuttered and uneven as he bent closer to her, so close she could just make out the feel of cotton against her lips. It was hard to stay focused on anything when his mouth was so teasingly close to hers.

She closed her eyes, draping her arms with near boneless anticipation around his neck. "Yeah, almost," she breathed out moments before his mouth slanted against hers. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, inhaling the scent of him into her lungs. Her arms tightened more securely around him as he moved closer, one hand bracing against the wall by her head. He was warm and fit so neatly to her that she could feel the firm muscles of his chest against her breasts, causing the material to rub across her nipples and send a sharp jolt of need through her.

The hand on her hip gripped more firmly, slipped around to give her bottom a tentative squeeze. She moaned and arched into the pressure of his palm, her hands sliding down to give his chest a rather blatant grope before coming to rest on his hips. Sakura pulled away from the kiss with a small gasp, her eyes opening just enough to see that he was watching her and probably had for the entire kiss. His gaze was a little hazy but still too alert for her to even think about making a grab for the book.

Rising up on tiptoe, she nipped carefully at the outline of his lower lip and whispered, "Take it off."

The dark heat that flashed through his eye made her skin tingle all over. Her heart was hammering in her chest and the warm glow of desire settled deep in her lower stomach. She stopped breathing for a moment as he used his free hand to very slowly peel his mask down, letting the dark material fall around his neck limply.

She only had a moment in which to marvel at just how good-looking he was before his warm lips were crushing down on hers in a hard kiss. It was all Sakura could do to just follow his lead, one hand ruffling through his hair a little roughly while the other tugged at his shirt to bring him closer. Kakashi's tongue darted between her lips, stroking against her hotly and making her knees go weak. She slumped back against the wall and he pressed himself closer to her, the hand on her hip sweeping upward across her ribs and around to her back.

Their kiss broke, but only long enough for her to suck in a quick breath before his mouth returned to hers hungrily. She was dizzy, unable to focus on anything but him swarming over her senses; the taste of him on her mouth, the feel of his body rubbing against hers, the small, muffled groans that were seemingly being dragged from his throat. She was gasping, panting into his mouth as she tried to remember what exactly it was she needed to be doing.

His mouth dipped lower, skimming along her jaw before slipping lower to start pressing kisses along her throat. Her eyes rolled back and her fingers curled tighter in his hair at the hot slide of his tongue and lips across her skin. She pressed her lips against his ear, rising on tiptoe to rub her breasts against his front. A soft, panting gasp broke from her lips at the friction across her tightened nipples, which soon turned into a deep groan as his teeth scraped across her neck. "No marks," she murmured in his ear.

"Heal it later," he mumbled back and, just because he was such a difficult jerk, he purposely placed a deep, suctioning kiss right over her pulse.

Sakura's lips parted, but nothing escaped them; no sound, no breath… nothing. The arousal that burned through her was too overwhelming for her to do anything but hope like hell he didn't stop. A dull, needing throb began between her legs, making her hips shift uneasily for something, anything, to make it better. He moved as if to kiss her again and she growled wordlessly, tugging on his hair to force his mouth back to her neck. Her back arched into him as he did just that, his soft laugh smothered as his lips closed around the skin just beneath her ear.

Her nails dug into his shoulders and back, his skin protected by his skirt, and the feel of those strong, corded muscles shifting against her palms was mesmerizing. One of her hands drifted downward, following the taut line of his spine lower until she reached his belt… and her fingers brushed against the canvas pouch at his back. Her eyes flew open wide as she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to be doing. Hoping he didn't notice her split second pause, Sakura used her grip on his hair to drag his mouth back to hers, moaning hungrily at the wet slide of his tongue along hers. Very carefully, she hooked her fingers just under the flap of his pouch…

And all functioning thought stopped dead as she tore her mouth from his with a gasp of stunned pleasure when his hand cupped her breast boldly, his thumb circling across her nipple in such a deliberate massage that she had to make a quick grab for his shoulder or else fall to the ground. She shuddered, her eyes closing as she tipped her head back against the wall. Kakashi pressed his forehead to hers and she knew without looking that his gaze was trained steadily on where his palm met her breast. A quick, sharp hiss of breath was sucked through her teeth as he repeated the movement again.

Heat roared through her, exquisite and mind shattering and demanding all at once. Another flick of his thumb across the hardened peak made her hips jerk almost reflexively into him. She could feel the harsh, uneven heat of his breath across her lips, heard a choked little groan come from her lips as his thumb kept whisking across her nipple, becoming more insistent with each pass. Sakura shivered and the hand she had behind his back smoothed upward again, abandoning what it'd been about to do in favor of drawing him closer to her.

Kakashi brushed a few light kisses across her lips and suggested huskily, "Do you want to keep going?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she shook her head. Keep going? With what, him driving her mad with need? How much more was he thinking to do to her? She heard him sigh and it almost sounded like one of relief to her ears. He kissed her forehead gently and then… she had to struggle to keep her knees from collapsing as he stepped away from her. Sakura's eyes flew open just in time to see him finish fixing his mask back over his face and had to try several times before she found enough breath and voice to ask, "You're leaving?"

He gave a quiet laugh and shrugged. "Well… yes. It's getting late and I'm sure you probably have a lot to do tomorrow since Suna is due to leave in a couple days."

Sakura pushed a few pieces of hair away from her face and moved away from the wall toward him. She paused when he took a half step back and frowned. "I was just going to kiss you goodnight," she explained, perplexed as to why he was still backing away from her slowly.

Kakashi moved as if to tuck his hands in his pockets and, seeming to think better of it, let them fall to his sides instead. "I know," he replied, meeting her gaze steadily. The intensity in that single eye was enough to make her heart skip a beat. "But if you do that there's a very good chance that we'll end up kissing all night, which means we'll both be exhausted and utterly useless tomorrow morning. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather _not_ have Tsunade breathing down my neck for falling asleep on the job."

She snorted disdainfully and rolled her eyes. "Reading smut all day isn't a job, Kakashi-sensei."

"Which is why I read modern masterpieces of literary genius, Cherry-chan."

"You know, for someone so concerned about keeping people up all night, you're certainly taking your sweet time leaving," she commented acerbically, raising her voice so that he could hear her across the street.

"And clearly you're not concerned at all about that since you're shouting at me from way over there," he called back.

Growling under her breath, Sakura all but ripped her purse open to pull out her keys. "Good_night_, Kakashi!" she snapped irritably as she opened the outer door and jerked it open harshly, ignoring the baffled look the night guard shot her way as she stomped over to the stairs. She had no idea what she saw in him. He was an insufferable, perverted, annoying… _incredibly_ sexy man…

Who still had his book.

"_Damn it!"_ she shouted, stamping her foot hard enough to crack the flooring outside her apartment door. Yet another evening that concluded with him turning her on horribly and her leaving without her goal. The door slammed behind her, rattling the doorframe and more than likely waking their neighbor. Sakura didn't pay the banging on the wall any mind as she flicked on the light and stormed off into her bedroom. Despite the fact that he'd left so she could catch some sleep, she doubted she'd be doing much of it tonight. She was pissed off about her failed attempt at stealing _Icha Icha_ and her body was still itching for some sort of relief after what had transpired just outside the entrance.

Sighing as she began disrobing brusquely, Sakura caught sight of her reflection in the mirror… and the deep red mark on her neck, courtesy of one Hatake Kakashi. "Son of a bitch!"

The next time she saw him, she wasn't going to bother trying to pick his pocket. She was going to kill him and _then_ take his damn books!


	22. When the Day Met the Night

**Thank you, druidchickz, for the wonderful fanart you made!**** It****'****s an adorable picture of Kakashi and Sakura kissing with his mask on****…**** and Sakura does NOT look like a happy girl about it!**** For anyone interested, it****'****s in my deviantart fave****'****s list.**** Make sure to check it out!**

Iruka groaned and rubbed a hand across his aching eyes wearily. The thick, double sided curtains were pulled across his windows, yet the minuscule amount of light creeping through was enough to sear his brain and make him realize that he was hung over. Painfully so. He normally didn't imbibe so heavily, but last night…

Actually, he couldn't remember much of last night. That didn't bode well.

The last thing he _did_ remember clearly was Kotetsu-san inviting him over to join him and Izumo-san for a drink… which clearly led to his downfall. There was a vague impression of others joining their group and a confusing flash of someone snickering at him not to pass out before the fun _really_ got started… he wasn't certain, but it might have been a woman saying that.

His mouth opened in a wide yawn as he threaded his fingers back through his hair… and stopped half way as the movement triggered yet another vague memory from the night before. Someone else had pulled his hair loose last night. Someone with much slimmer fingers and who was less than mindful of how hard they tugged. A deep, confused furrow creased his brow as his mind drudged forth images of those same hands pulling harshly at his shirt, his belt…

Iruka's eyes widened in horror and his head jerked off his pillow at the sound of his shower running. Oh, no… he didn't… he couldn't possibly have been _that drunk_! He swallowed hard and forced himself to look around his small room. A ragged, sickening feeling sank into his gut when he saw his clothing scattered haphazardly across the floor. And sitting squarely in the middle of the floor, right on top of one of his sandals, was a purple and black thong that _very_ clearly belonged to a woman.

Oh, god… he did. After years of abstaining from casual relationships, he'd gone and had drunken, meaningless sex with a woman he couldn't even remember. How he wasn't dead from such utter mortification, he had no idea.

Very slowly, he sat up in bed, one hand clutching the twisted sheets around his waist as he carefully swung his legs over the side. The smell of sex was apparent now that he'd pieced together enough of what had happened, and he grimaced when he stood up and a used condom fell out from the tangle of fabric onto his foot. Iruka bent and gingerly pinched it between his finger and thumb and was about to hastily throw it into the garbage can by his bedside when he noticed something that made his heart quite literally skip a few beats.

The condom was broken. Whether it'd happened during sex or after, he didn't know. But the condom was most definitely broken.

An icy sensation flooded throughout his entire body, causing him to shiver and struggle to draw a breath. Iruka fell backward to the floor, his rear hitting the wood hard and his head bouncing off the edge of the mattress. His fingers, still pinching the offensive latex tube with its gaping rip and dried semen, shook uncontrollably as a soft, strangled groan of horror managed to squeeze out of his throat. Oh, god… oh-god-oh-god-oh-god…

The door to his bathroom swung open with near violent force, causing his head to whip around sharply toward the woman coming out. Iruka thought the horror of finding a ripped condom was enough to scare him grey. It wasn't. The sight of the woman walking into his room, naked and dripping all over his unprotected (bad choice of words) floor was none other than… "A-Anko-san?" he choked out, his voice barely more than a raspy squeak. He wasn't sure which was more appalling, the fact that he'd slept with Mitarashi Anko or the fact that he might have accidentally impregnated her.

Anko glanced his way as she propped her wet foot on the old heirloom chair that had been in his mother's family for ages. Iruka's eyes widened as she made no move to cover herself, instead twisting around so that the dark patch of hair between her legs was on level with his eyes. "Yeah?" she asked, completely unabashed in her nudity.

Iruka's cheeks flared hotly as he quickly looked away from her. She arched an impatient brow, hands cocked on her hips and the towel that _should_ have been wrapped around her body draped across one shoulder. He didn't know what to say to her. What was the right way to tell a woman, especially a woman who probably knew countless creative and painful ways to kill him, that there was a chance she could be carrying your child? Anko's foot tapped against the chair, making him cringe as the water began to soak into the old wood.

"Will you please take your foot off the chair?" he mumbled.

An evil grin slid across her lips as she said, "Sure, no problem." She did as he asked… and instead propped her foot on the bed right above his shoulder, close enough that he could feel the rougher skin of her heel on his neck and could smell the scent of his soap and lingering traces of sex on her, ah… _intimate_ area.

He swallowed hard and very subtly scooted over a couple of inches. Apparently, it wasn't subtle enough because she snickered as she tugged the towel from her shoulder to begin drying off. "Anko-san," he began again while trying _not_ to follow the slide of the towel up along her legs. As terrified as he was of telling her what had happened, he couldn't quite keep from noticing that she had rather attractive legs. "I… I mean, we… well, there was a problem. Last night. It would appear that—,"

"The damn condom broke?" she interrupted with a snort.

A strangled sound came from him and the condom dropped from his numbed fingers in shock, plopping onto his sheet-covered lap. "Y-You knew?"

One slim, dark brow lifted and a slightly contemptuous sneer curled her lips. "Gee, you're a quick one, aren't you? And they let you teach at the Academy? No shit, I knew. You got it everywhere except where it was supposed to go."

Was it possible to spontaneously combust from the heat of blushing? He wasn't sure, but he was doing his best to test that theory. Iruka raised a hand to rub his eyes, stopping when he remembered what it had just been holding. Letting out a heavy, resigned sigh, he said quietly, "If it turns out that you… you know… are pregnant. Well, what I'm trying to say is that I'll… I'll be there. For you and the baby. I-I don't want you to think that I'll…"

His words trailed off when he noticed she'd stopped drying herself and was giving him the most bewildered look. "What the hell are you talking about?" Anko asked, her brow pinching sharply. "I'm not pregnant!"

"You don't know that—,"

"No… I do. There ain't no way in hell."

"Anko-san, even with birth control there's still a possibility," he argued, pushing to his feet as she rolled her eyes and began gathering her clothing.

"A snowball stands a better chance in hell than your boys do in my uterus," she grunted as she began tugging into her mesh top.

Iruka frowned and brushed his loose hair out of his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't follow you."

Anko paused with her skirt in one hand, wearing nothing more than her black thong and sheer top. The look in her dark eyes was cold and so intimidating that he couldn't help shuddering. "You probably know just like everybody else that I was one of Orochimaru's little guinea pigs," she said, her lips curving in a false smile. Her voice was soft and filled with a type of sickly sweetness that made the hair on the back of his neck raise. "Well, one of the first things he did with his little guinea pigs was to sterilize them. Didn't want his experiments mixing blood, ya know?"

He… didn't know what to say. His mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. How did one respond to hearing about another's abuse? Iruka cleared his throat and said softly, "Anko-san… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

She snorted inelegantly and wriggled her skirt up her hips. "Why are _you_ sorry? His experiments saved your ass from having a bastard child."

"No. I mean I'm sorry _for_ you."

Her hands stilled in tightening the buckle of her belt but she didn't meet his gaze. Then, she gave a short, bitter laugh and murmured, "Yeah, well, don't bother. I hate pity."

Iruka's jaw hardened and he couldn't quite keep the sharpness from his voice. "There's a difference between feeling sorry for dredging up unpleasantness and pitying the circumstances."

Anger flared through her eyes, but it was tempered by another emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint. The closest he could come to describing it was fear— which was about the last thing he ever would have expected from Mitarashi Anko. Immediately, he felt bad for his harsh words and released a heavy sigh. "I crossed the line. Forgive me."

Anko shifted from one foot to the other uneasily before grabbing her coat from the back of his desk chair. "Whatever," she grumbled as she stomped her way toward the door. She paused with her hand on the knob and turned to flash him what had to be the most lascivious smile he'd ever seen. "Y'know… you were pretty damn good last night. Who woulda thought underneath that uptight exterior was such a freak! See you around, Iruka-_sensei_." Her mocking laugh continued to ring in his ears long after the door closed.

Iruka sank numbly down on the edge of his bed and stared blankly after her. Him… a sex freak? Just what in the hell _did_ happen last night?

Worse yet… how many people had played witness to it?

He fell back completely on the bed with a heavy, miserable groan and covered his face with both hands. Perhaps it would be in his best interest to call out sick today.

"Come on, out of the water and try it again! Unless you really feel like swimming a mile back to shore, you better start channeling that chakra!" Genma shouted from where he was lounging on a wide, square platform in the middle of Lake Kagyaku. Three heads bobbed a few feet out into the choppy water, all of them looking miserable and very, very sour. It made his heart glad.

"You're so mean, Genma-sensei," Tamaki choked out as he dog paddled back over to the platform, his two teammates right behind him. There were posts surrounding the wooden structure for people to tie boats to, but there wasn't a single one currently hitched to it. That was because the boat Genma had rowed his genin team to the platform in was currently smoldering further out into the lake. Yeah, he was probably going to get docked pay for destroying village property. But what better motivation to get them to walk on water than to destroy their only means back to shore other than swimming almost one mile?

"And your chakra control sucks," Genma fired back uncharitably, scowling as the kid pulled himself out of the water and shook off like a wet dog. "Hey! Do that again and I'll show you a whole new level of mean!"

The boy grumbled something that Genma ignored and turned to help the other two out of the water. Seika, her twin buns in disarray and her cheeks rosy from the cold, smiled shyly and wrapped her arms around her shivering torso while Isshin stuttered out a thanks between his chattering teeth. Most people would have taken pity on the frozen trio, but not Genma. They'd gotten on his bad side the minute he'd had an eraser dropped on his head. This was karma coming back to bite them on the ass.

Genma was about to give them a lecture on how to better focus their chakra when he noticed that all three of them were staring at the shoreline curiously. Leaning back to peer around his genin and see what had them so fascinated, he grinned brightly at the sight of Kakashi striding across the lake effortlessly, _Icha Icha Paradise _in hand. "Well, well… look who's come all the way out here to visit us," he drawled, his eyes slanting toward the three kids that were now staring enviously at Kakashi's non-sinking feet. "Say hello to Kakashi-sensei, kids!"

Isshin and Seika mumbled shy greetings but Tamaki pointed accusingly at Kakashi's feet and demanded, "How're you doin' that?"

"Probably the same way Genma-sensei told you; careful chakra distribution," Kakashi replied, his voice sounding bored and completely disinterested with the lesson. He stepped up onto the platform and shook the bottoms of his shoes free from the lake water, completely uncaring that he had an enraptured audience.

Tamaki looked less than amused and, with an irritated growl, put his foot out over the lake again. Kakashi watched with only mild interest as the boy tried focusing his chakra to counteract the movement of the water… and fell in with a loud yelp and decent sized splash. Genma snickered as two more surprised squawks and splashes followed the would-be leader of the trio while Kakashi shifted just enough to prevent his book from getting wet. "So, what brings you out this way, Kakashi?" he asked as the three kids bobbed to the surface once again. "If you're here to determine whether they're ready for the Suna chuunin exams, don't bother. I didn't even sign them up."

"That's good, but not why I'm here."

Oh, shit… something was up. Had Kakashi figured out who'd stolen his book? Or, worse yet, did Asuma cave in and tell him about their scheming? His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as Kakashi took a seat on the damp platform next to him. "Okay, listen up," he called, clapping his hands to get his team's attention. "Take a break and go warm up. Last thing I need is your parents complaining you got hyperthermia on my watch."

"Y-You mean you want us to _swim_ back?" Isshin squeaked in horror.

Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, Genma reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a transport scroll. "Get as close together as you can or risk leaving body parts behind," he warned, earning him three pairs of round, terrified eyes. The kids were quick to practically get on top of each other. He knew just as well as any jounin that transport scrolls didn't function like that. The only reason it was encouraged for multiple users to stay close together was to minimize the amount of chakra the person activating it had to use.

Kakashi shook his head slightly and muttered as the senbon user activated the scroll, "And they call _me_ a sadist."

Genma flashed a wide, unrepentant grin as the three genin disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared flat on their asses on dry land. "What they don't know won't kill them, but it'll certainly keep their punk-asses in line. And believe me, they deserve every last scrap of torment I inflict on them," he replied while angry shouts rose from the other side.

"They can't be all _that_ bad."

"Take Naruto and times that by about a hundred. Then, factor in that one is prone to potentially fatal accidents, one talks to himself and has three imaginary friends and the third retaliates to discipline by biting at any body part— and I do mean _any_— and you've got my team."

Kakashi winced and patted the other man's shoulder consolingly. "I'll make sure they don't graffiti your tombstone."

"Ha, ha. So, to what do I owe the honor of you visiting me if it's not for an evaluation?"

"Actually," the copy ninja hedged, scratching the back of his neck in a display of unease. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

Genma arched a brow and the senbon between his lips quirked downward with his frown. "Something? As in… something personal?"

Letting out a long breath, Kakashi nodded once. "Yeah."

Immediately, his attention perked and he sat up a little straighter. Kakashi _never_ talked about personal stuff. "This something personal wouldn't happen to involve a certain kunoichi who's trying to steal your books would it?"

Again, the pale haired man nodded and muttered, "Yeah."

The senbon nearly fell from Genma's mouth. "Whoa. Kakashi… what's going on here?"

There was a bit of pink peeking out over the top of Kakashi's mask, so pale that for a moment Genma thought the light was playing tricks on him. "What's going on," he began slowly, as if struggling to find the right words. "Is that… I'm canceling the lesson."

For a moment, Genma swore he was going to pass out from shock. He shook his head sharply to clear away the dizzy feeling and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wait," he said, still trying to process what he'd just heard. "Wait, wait, _wait_ a goddamn second! You're _canceling_ the lesson?"

"Yeah."

"Why? I thought things were going according to plan."

"They were," Kakashi affirmed, settling his arms across his bent knees.

"But… now they're not?" he pressed. "So what changed?"

Kakashi didn't answer him and instead stared out across the grey-tinted lake in silence. Apparently, there was only so much opening up the copy ninja could do and he'd obviously exceeded the limit by even seeking someone out to talk to. If he wanted answers (or a confession of interest) he had to broach the subject himself.

"Kakashi… are you attracted to Sakura?" he asked quietly. The disbelief in his words was completely genuine. He really couldn't believe that the ever aloof man might actually be admitting his feelings.

Once again, he was met by silence as an answer. The senbon clattered against the dock. "Holy shit!" He picked his fallen senbon up, but rather than return it to his mouth he began poking little holes in the wet wood they were sitting on.

"I agree," Kakashi murmured.

Genma released a breath that bordered close to a sigh and swiped his hitae-ate from his head to give his hair a good ruffle. This was just too amazing. Hatake Kakashi was admitting he had feelings for his former student. Asuma was never gonna believe it! For a while, neither of them said a word as they sat on the creaking, rocking platform listening to the water lapping around them and the sounds of the wind in the colored trees. Kakashi picked at a snag in his pants while Genma twisted his hitae-ate between his fingers absently. Finally, the brown haired man sighed and murmured, "Okay. So… what are you gonna do?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know."

"Well… what would you _like_ to do? Besides her, I mean." He flinched when the other man shot him a scathing glare. Okay… somebody was a tad touchy today.

"Don't be crass," the silver haired man snapped.

Genma held his hands up as if to ward off an attack and quickly said, "Okay, okay, geez… I was only kidding. You don't need to rip my damn head off!"

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now then, what are you thinking about doing? Are you just gonna forget about the fact that she's after your books?"

"No, of course not," Kakashi replied, tapping a finger against his knee. "I was thinking of maybe sticking to defense."

Genma nodded thoughtfully before reaching down to tug his shoes off. "That's a start," he agreed, undoing the wrappings around his legs so he could roll his pants up above his knees. "That way, when she finds out you've been on to her she won't be nearly as pissed off as she would be if she found out you were only dating her to teach her a lesson."

Kakashi's shoulders stiffened sharply and his eye widened.

He paused in unwinding the wire he'd pulled from his vest and arched a brow. "You _did_ take into account that eventually she's gonna find out and that when she does she'll be out for blood, right?" he demanded. Please, don't let him be _that_ oblivious…

"… How much blood?"

Damn it, he was. "Probably however much is in your body." He shook his head and groaned silently at the other man's obtuseness. No wonder the great Hatake Kakashi was still single. "Unless you're really in the mood to sample the wrath of a spurned woman, I suggest confronting her on the books as soon as possible. But don't do it until after Saturday night. Shizune's got everything ready for the dinner party and she'll be fit to kill if you do anything to change those plans. Here, hold this for a second."

Kakashi took the fishing hook tied to the end of the wire without question while Genma fashioned a lure out of the chewing gum Tamaki had stuck to the dock earlier and some stray bits of lint and plastic from inside his pocket. "Speaking of Saturday, what exactly are you up to?"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," Genma mumbled distractedly, scowling as the used gum stuck to his fingertips. He really hoped Kakashi didn't pick up on the fact that he was avoiding eye contact.

"You were never good at playing innocent."

"Probably because I haven't been innocent for quite some time. I'll take that from you now." Kakashi handed the hook back over and Genma stuck his slapped together lure to the end of the wire before casting it out into the lake. He tied the line around one of the docking posts and sighed in satisfaction at his handiwork. "Honestly, Kakashi, this was all Shizune's idea," he continued, stretching out flat on his back and closing his eyes. "She and I like throwing dinner parties. We do it all the time."

"If you do it all the time then why is this the first one you've invited me to?" the other man persisted. To the casual listener, his tone would have suggested that he really wasn't all that interested in the answer. But Genma could detect the sharpness underneath and knew Kakashi was at least guessing in the right direction, that being Genma insisting they host a dinner party in order to get two reluctant lovebirds together.

"Because this is a couple's only thing, and as you'll recall the only people who know you're _not_ really dating Sakura are me and Gai. Shizune extended the invitation because, as far as she knows, you're seeing Sakura," Genma reminded him. "You should have heard her last night. She was saying that Sakura has smiled more in the last month than she as over the last two years. And, speaking as a nonpartisan observer, I've noticed a similar change in you, which makes _me _think the both of you should stop acting stupid and just hook up."

Kakashi's eye twitched a little and there was a quick flash of unhappiness through his gaze as he stared out across the lake. "Sakura's going to kill me."

"Possibly. Then again, she might not considering she's been playing you as well. Either way, you need to tell her the truth if you're serious about having a _real_ relationship with her."

"Wouldn't it be easier to _not _say anything and just continue seeing her?"

Genma snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. It'll be easy until she figures out on her own that you knew from the start and then it'll suck massively. And then you'd have to do some major groveling in order to keep her. You _might_ even have to buy her flowers. Or jewelry."

Kakashi winced as if he'd just taken a kunai to the balls and Genma grinned widely at the shudder that visibly ran down his spine. He didn't really think Sakura would be so materialistic as to demand jewelry as an apology, but he knew that the copy ninja hated spending money if he could avoid it. And if admitting to his love interest that he'd been on to her and her schemes would save him the hassle of shopping for expensive jewelry, then he'd do it.

Sighing under his breath, Kakashi pushed to his feet and tucked his hands in his pockets. "What time is dinner tomorrow?"

"Seven. And don't forget; no telling the truth until _after_ Saturday," he called as the pale haired man stepped out onto the water and started walking back to dry land. All he got in response was silence and a lazy wave.

Genma smiled at his friend's retreating back and shook his head. The man may be a genius when it came to battle strategy and tactics, but he was a complete moron when it came to women. Kakashi didn't realize it yet, but he was more than just attracted to Sakura. He was flat out smitten. The only problem that remained now was getting him to admit it. It'd taken him a whole month to acknowledge he was attracted to her. How the hell long would it take before he realized he was actually in love with her?

Nothing had changed. Everything was _exactly_ as he remembered it. He took a deep breath in, sucking down the scent of fallen leaves and old rain, and exhaled it slowly as a wide grin spread across his cheeks. He used to do that every time they came back from a mission, just take a moment to smell the trees. This was _home_. And he'd missed it real badly.

He wanted to rush forward, but the pervy sage wouldn't let him. Every time he pulled ahead, he'd turn around to find that his mentor was waaay back down the road, too busy scribbling something down to be bothered with picking up the pace. It wasn't bad before, but now that they were within sight of the gates… it was getting kinda annoying. Why couldn't he _wait_ to write more of his boring story until _after_ they were inside the village? Maybe he could bribe him…

"Hey, hey! What if they closed up that peephole at the bathhouse?" Naruto mused out loud, a wicked glint flickering through his eyes as the scratch of Jiraiya's pen came to a sudden halt.

"What was that?" the sage demanded, his voice a slight octave higher.

He barely managed to keep a snicker from breaking free as he stuck his hands behind his head and shrugged. "I said what if they closed the peephole at the bath house? I mean, that old lady's been in charge for a while now an' she probably knows all about your perviness. So maybe she had someone seal it up? Or _maybe_ the women started complainin' about a draft an' so the bath house had a repair guy come out to—"

"Alright, alright! That's enough blasphemy out of you for one day," Jiraiya grumbled. Naruto grinned as the scowling man put away his notepad and began walking faster. Oh, yeah… he totally knew how to play this guy!

Satisfied that they were now moving faster than the trail of ants alongside the road, Naruto managed to tear his gaze away from the gates to shoot his teacher a nervous glance. "D'you… D'you think anyone will recognize me?"

Jiraiya snorted, his lips twisting into an amused smirk. Naruto chuckled as a large hand ruffled through his hair. "Cut it out!" he complained, even though he secretly didn't mind. It was the sort of thing a dad might do to his son.

"Oh, what? Like doing that is going to make your hair any more ridiculous?" the older man replied, his smile belying the disapproval in his voice. "Do yourself a favor and get a haircut as soon as possible. You look like a cat went and died on your head."

"Ha! You hypocrite! You should take a look at your own hair before criticizing mine!"

In response, Jiraiya gave his own insanely long hair a flick and laughed when Naruto rolled his eyes. "Women like a man with long hair. Shows virility."

"If that's true then why're you tellin' me to get my hair cut?" the blond boy demanded. After all this time of the pervy bastard shoving him out the door and telling him to find a nice girl, _now_ he was telling him not to get one? Hey… what if Jiraiya was trying to hog all the Konoha women for himself? Naruto shot a suspicious look up at his teacher and vowed silently never to cut his hair.

Jiraiya's dark eyes twinkled mischievously as he arched a single brow at his younger companion. "Oh, oh… what's this? Is there a young lady you're looking to impress?" he drawled teasingly. A large grin broke across his features at the rush of pink to his charge's cheeks.

"Er… maybe. I mean, no! I mean… argh!" Naruto cut himself off before he went and said anything else. Knowing his teacher, the old peeper would probably try and scout Sakura out for himself. And there was no way, not even over his dead body, that he'd ever allow _this_ pervert near Sakura!

A hand clapped on his shoulder, causing him to look up at his teacher questioningly. There was a knowing look on Jiraiya's face, as if he guessed what Naruto meant to say was yes, there _was_ a girl he hoped to impress. "Don't worry, kid. You may have grown a bit, but she'll still recognize you."

Naruto smiled gratefully at the older man's reassurance and laughed under his breath. Jiraiya was right. Sakura wouldn't have forgotten about him. He sure hadn't forgotten about her, or Kakashi-sensei for that matter. For the last week, all he could think about was how much his friends had changed. Had Sakura grown her hair out again? Did Lee still have those super thick brows? Was Shikamaru still lazy as hell? Two and a half years was an awful long time to be away from home. What if Sakura had a boyfriend or something? What if… she was dating someone like Kiba? That thought made his stomach lurch painfully.

The closer they got to the gates, the more excited and nervous he got. His palms were sweating and his heart was beating just a little faster. The two guards standing at the check point nodded in greeting to Jiraiya while their eyes lingered on the boy walking alongside him. Naruto looked up at the top of the enormous gates, taking in every scar and section of chipped paint that covered the wooden posts. This was it. Just one more step and…

He was home.

A dizzying feeling swept over him and a goofy smile crossed his face. He was home again! His eyes scanned over the buildings eagerly, noting that other than maybe some new paint or signs everything was exactly as it had been over two years ago. The bakery was still open and busy, the pet shop across the street from it still had kittens in the window. Down the street, the children's clothing store stood out in bright primary colors just as it always had, and further down from that was the giant wooden kunai sign for the weapons sharpening shop.

Jiraiya paused and glanced back over his shoulder to smirk at the gaping boy. "Well, are you coming or what? You were all but sprinting just a few minutes ago."

Nodding absently, Naruto caught up to his mentor, his eyes sweeping from side to side eagerly as the familiar sights and sounds of his home swarmed over him once again. It'd been fun traveling around with Jiraiya, but it'd never felt quite right with him, like a piece of him was missing. And now… that piece was back where it belonged again. It felt almost like a dream walking down the main street, seeing the Hokage monument towering over the village again, noting the curious gazes that followed after them. "It's been two and a half years," he said quietly, talking more to himself than the man walking next to him.

"Indeed," Jiraiya murmured back, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter at the wonder on his apprentice's face.

Naruto stumbled a little over a crack in the road, one that had been there forever and a day and _still_ wasn't patched up. He grinned, despite the fact that his toes were now bruised, and dropped his bag to the ground. Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest as the boy channeled chakra to his feet and pushed off the road, leaping up to the top of the old shoe factory's roof. He landed on one of the thick, cement support pillars that reached high above most of the other rooftops and looked out over the spread of the village. Clothing and power lines were stretched between apartment buildings and he could see the training grounds that circled around the outside of the main fence. The neon lights from the entertainment district stood out brightly, even though it was full daylight. And, above the smell of smoke, people and forest… he could _just_ make out the aroma of expertly made ramen.

It finally sank in that this wasn't yet another dream. This was real. He was home now and everything was exactly as he remembered it and… _it was all real!_ He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry or maybe do both at once. All he could really focus on at that moment was the fact that he was back in Konoha where he belonged. He was home with his friends again, with ramen and barbeque and the Academy and everything else he loved most in the world. This was the day he'd been looking forward to for over two years and now that it was here… it was everything he could have ever hoped for and more.

The only thing that would make it better was to find all his friends and drag them out for some Ichiraku Ramen!

Sakura slipped into Tsunade's office quietly, one arm full of mission requests that had just come in. The lights in the Hokage's office were off but the entire back wall was made of windows and offered more than enough natural light to see by. There were stacks of documents on the desk, all of them tidy and with little sticky notes on top detailing what they were for. Mission reports, supply orders, shipping receipts, village bills… Sakura added her pile to the list and opened the top drawer of the desk to pull out the little note pad that was mostly hidden under a bottle of sake. She shook her head disapprovingly at her mentor's bad habit and neatly wrote out what the new stack was before pressing the note to the top page.

She was just about to turn and leave when her eye caught something pale moving far below her. Immediately she went to the window, excitement and hope coursing through her. Disappointment followed shortly after when she realized it wasn't Kakashi but a kid waving a white flag in surrender to his friends. She pressed her forehead to the glass and sighed softly, her breath fogging across the pane.

Part of the reason why she'd volunteered to bring the mission requests to Tsunade was because she'd wanted to talk to her mentor about her own mission. Things were… confusing. On the one hand, she didn't want her teacher to think that she couldn't set aside any feelings she had and do whatever job was appointed to her. After all, a ninja wasn't supposed to show emotion, much less let it cloud their judgment. But at the same time, she didn't want to risk losing what she could have with Kakashi just because Tsunade made some stupid bet.

That morning, Ino had filled her in on the plan Shikamaru had concocted last night… after laying into her for standing them up for fireworks, of course. The blonde had forgiven her though when she'd told her _exactl_y why she'd missed the fireworks show, minus a few details concerning a certain Sand kunoichi and her girlfriend. Sakura had to say Shikamaru's idea for grabbing the books was solid. But she didn't want to do that, not if she could avoid it. Not only would it be yet another violation of Kakashi's trust (especially considering how guarded he was about letting anyone into his personal life to begin with) but it would mean being alone. With him. In his apartment. She wasn't so naïve as to not know how it would look if she went home with him.

The thing was… she didn't think she would mind at all if he _were_ to ask her over for that purpose. Just thinking about the way he'd touched her last night made her body grow hot. Sakura closed her eyes, her fingers curling against the cool glass lightly. She knew the reason he'd stopped was out of courtesy to her, but she wished he hadn't. It wasn't just that it felt so very good to have him touch her like that. It felt _right_. She was just as certain about Kakashi as she had been about approaching Tsunade to teach her.

She'd had _the talk_ already, from her parents as well as both Tsunade and Shizune, and all of them had said the same thing; don't have sex unless she's positive without any doubt that it's the right time and person. If there was any hesitation at all, even the slightest bit, then she wasn't ready for it. Well, she definitely had doubts, but none of them had anything to do with her feelings for Kakashi. All her uncertainty about their relationship had to do with her mission to steal his books and the fact that she was using him to that end. That was why she needed to talk to Tsunade. Before she could have anything real with Kakashi, she needed to have this bet taken off her shoulders.

Sakura's head jerked up as the door opened and she turned with a smile as her teacher came sweeping into the office. Her brow furrowed a little at the glitter of amusement in Tsunade's amber eyes as the older woman crossed her arms under her breasts and asked, "What are you doing in here, Sakura? I thought for sure you would have been heading for the gates already."

"The gates?" she repeated in confusion. Then, her eyes widened and a bolt of apprehension shot through her as she suddenly realized why Tsunade had said that. "Is Kakashi-sensei leaving?"

Tsunade gave her a baffled look. "What? Who said anything about him?"

Relief flooded through her as she pressed a hand to her fluttering stomach. It was stupid to be worried about him going on a mission, but she couldn't help it. No matter how good he was there was always the chance that he'd run into someone better and that scared her, even more so than it already did. Letting out a small laugh, Sakura asked, "Then why would I be at the front gates?"

The older woman arched a brow and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Because that Uzumaki Naruto just came home, that's why. I thought you would have heard about it by now."

Sakura's eyes went wide and a cold, sick feeling crept down her spine. "N-Naruto's home?" she croaked, her throat suddenly tight and dry. The butterflies returned full force to her stomach.

"That's what the gate guards reported earlier," Tsunade continued, her smile returning at Sakura's utter shock. "I was just about to head down that way myself. Naturally, I'll understand if you'd rather see him on your own time…"

Shaking her head numbly as the words _Naruto's home_ kept repeating over and over in her bewildered head, Sakura mumbled, "No, I'll go with you. I… I wanted to talk to you anyway, shishou."

Tsunade's smile widened warmly as she beckoned for Sakura to follow her. "Walk and talk then. I want to catch up with them before they take that boy out to gorge on ramen."

It took Sakura several seconds before she was able to process the plural in that statement. "Wait," she said as she hurried to follow Tsunade into the elevator. "They?" For a moment, a disbelieving hope flooded through her. Had Naruto somehow managed to bring Sasuke home with him?

As if guessing where exactly her apprentice's thoughts had gone, Tsunade gave her a sad smile and said, "Jiraiya and Kakashi, that's all. Jiraiya obviously returned with Naruto and Kakashi— Sakura, you look like you're going to be sick."

Sakura closed her eyes and gripped the railing of the elevator to keep from falling to the ground as a dizzying wave of nausea overcame her. Kakashi… was with Naruto. "I'm fine," she groaned as Tsunade pressed a cool hand to her forehead and cheek. It was a flat out lie. She really did feel like she was going to puke any minute.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but all she said was, "If you say so. Just aim away from my shoes or it'll be your ass." Nodding weakly, Sakura followed after her teacher as the doors to the elevator chimed open. Tsunade was walking at such a quick pace that she had to jog to keep up, which really wasn't doing her queasy stomach any good.

So… Naruto was back. And Kakashi was already with him. Had he said anything about their relationship yet? Did he even _plan_ on saying something to Naruto? On the one hand, it really wasn't any of Naruto's business, but on the other… he was a friend and their teammate. If anyone deserved to know she and Kakashi were dating, it was him. Besides, hiding it would only make it look like they were ashamed of their relationship, which she most definitely was _not._ So if the right thing to do here was tell Naruto as soon as possible… why did it make her so nervous?

Kakashi landed on the bakery roof without a sound and did a quick glance around to make sure no one else was up there. Letting out a relieved sigh, he sank down onto the corrugated metal and immediately pulled out his book. Or, rather, he pulled out Sakura's book that was now cleverly disguised as _Icha Icha Paradise._ He was only one chapter in and so far no one was dead, which was a little disappointing considering it was supposed to be a murder mystery. At least the writing wasn't terrible. Actually, even though it wasn't as verbose as what he normally read, it wasn't bad at all. Just straight up storytelling without any frills or fancy verbiage to hamper it. Considering how busy Sakura probably was, he could appreciate why she liked it.

He didn't really feel like reading, and chances were good he would more than likely just sit there with the book open and stare blankly at the pages. The book was more to deter anyone from interrupting him while he sat and thought about what to do.

Talking to Genma had been only mildly enlightening. He hadn't wanted to broach the subject at all, but he could quite honestly admit that he was in a little deeper than he ever thought he would be. And while he still suspected Genma was hiding something, the man did have a point. If he was truly serious about exploring this burgeoning interest in Sakura (which he was) then he needed to be forthright with her.

The thing was… how did he do it without losing her? Despite Genma's assurances that everything would work out fine, he wasn't so foolish as to believe that. He knew Sakura. Little things, such as the fact that she was using him to get his books, wouldn't matter in light of the knowledge that he'd been on to her from the start. She would only see the betrayal and not the fact that it cut both ways.

If he told her the truth, their personal relationship would end but their friendship might be salvageable. If he didn't and she found out, not only would he lose her affection but her friendship as well. Well, when he thought about it like that… there really _wasn't_ a choice to make. Now, all he needed to do was talk to Sakura before things got even more—

"I missed this place! It hasn't changed one bit!"

An icy cold feeling suddenly washed through his veins as that loud declaration met his ears. The voice had changed a little, the result of puberty kicking in, but the tone and the enthusiasm were just as he remembered. Kakashi looked up slowly from the edge of his book and his heart stopped beating briefly at the sight of a much taller Uzumaki Naruto standing directly in front of him on top of a stone pillar. He might have grown up while he was away… but that smile hadn't changed at all. It was every bit as open and warm as when he'd been a genin.

Even though he'd known for a while now that Naruto was going to return soon, he still hadn't come up with a way of telling the boy that he was dating his childhood crush. He knew how much Naruto clung to his friends and those important to him, knew that no matter how much he'd grown physically, emotionally he would probably stay the same. There was no way to avoid hurting him by revealing the truth, no matter how gently it was put. Kakashi groaned under his breath. Telling the truth didn't set you free. It beat you to a pulp, dragged you through a gravel pit and stretched you out naked for the world to see.

Well, seeing as he'd end up having to come face-to-face with his past student anyway, Kakashi called over the top of his book, "You've grown quite a bit, haven't you… Naruto."

Wide blue eyes whipped his way so quickly it was a wonder they didn't fly from their sockets. Naruto's grin stretched impossibly further as he exclaimed excitedly, "Kakashi-sensei! You haven't changed at all!"

Kakashi chuckled lightly as the boy leapt onto the rooftop noisily, prompting the woman in the kitchen below to screech in fright before cussing at 'those goddamn shinobi' on her bakery. "Well, I guess that's better than changing for the worse."

"Hehe, yeah. Oh, hey! I have a present for you!" Naruto reached behind and started rifling through the pouch at his back, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth as his nose scrunched. "I'm kinda glad I found you so quickly 'cause I've been carrying it around for_ever_ an' it's kinda annoying 'cause it digs into my ass—,"

"Naruto, you didn't have to get me anything," he murmured, half dreading what sort of present the enthusiastic boy— correction, young man— had purchased for him. While he meant well, Uzumaki Naruto wasn't exactly the best gift-giver in the world.

Naruto laughed brightly and said, "Trust me, you're gonna love this!"

"Really, Naruto, that's not… oh." All words left him as Naruto produced his present with a gleeful smile. Kakashi's eye widened and his hands shook a little as he accepted the offered gift. He could hardly breathe from the shock of it. "Y-You… how did you…?" He couldn't stop reading the words printed across the hard cover over and over again as his brain tried to process that it was real. Unless… Kakashi flipped the cover open quickly and choked on his next breath when he realized that this wasn't one of Naruto's pranks. This was very, very legitimate.

"It's the newest _Icha Icha _book in three years," Naruto continued excitedly, obviously pleased that he'd rendered his former teacher completely speechless. "It's kinda boring, but you'll probably like it anyway." A loud, insulted snort came from the street below, but Kakashi couldn't tear his eyes away from the book long enough to see who it belonged to.

Kakashi had to clear his throat twice before he was finally able to rasp out, "Naruto… I really don't know… thanks."

Snickering, the blond rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly and said, "Ah, it was nothin'! I mean, I spent th' last two years traveling around with the author, so it was kinda easy to get an advanced copy of it."

His head snapped up sharply at that and his eye rounded even further. "You mean this… this isn't even _in print_ yet?"

"Nope! I asked Jiraiya-shishou if it'd be cool with him to have one made so I could give it to you an' he said that was fine. So, we stopped by the publishing place on our way back, picked it up and there ya go! It's not supposed to be officially released until…" His voice trailed off as he tapped his chin thoughtfully, trying to remember the launch date. Then, glancing downward, he called out, "Hey, shishou! When's it supposed to be released?"

"This spring," Jiraiya called out from the street below where he was leaning with his arms crossed against a power line pole, looking a little annoyed at his charge.

"Yeah, yeah, that's right! This spring. So, it's only a few months ahead of time, but Jiraiya-shishou said that they'd probably change th' cover or something before then so this'll be a one of a kind book."

Kakashi was once again at a loss for words, from both Naruto's thoughtfulness and Jiraiya's kindness. If it weren't for the fact that he'd be eternally mocked by his ex-student, he probably would have had a few tears in his eye. After three years of tiding himself over with rereading the only other books in the series, of watching the movies so many times that he'd had to buy new tapes, of trying to wheedle snippets of the storyline out of Jiraiya whenever he chanced to come across him… he now had the latest book, _Icha Icha Tactics_, in his hand.

He supposed he could wait to tell Naruto about Sakura, at least for a little while.

Naruto stood up, still beaming happily that his gift had gone over so well, and said, "So, are you doin' anything right now?"

"Nothing yet," Kakashi replied as he too stood up. Even without the growling gurgle that came from Naruto's stomach, he knew exactly what the blond had in mind. That very familiar glint was in his bright blue eyes, and he couldn't help but to smile at it. Some things never changed.

A hopeful, excited look crossed Naruto's face as he glanced quickly down the street in the direction of his favorite restaurant. "You wanna grab some food with me an' the pervy sage?"

Shrugging and offering a cheery face in return, he said, "Sure, why not? I'm guessing you're in the mood for ramen."

"Hehe… was it that obvious?"

Kakashi pinched his finger and thumb together and joked, "Just a bit."

Snickering, Naruto shrugged and said sheepishly, "Well… it's my favorite. An' seeing as I haven't had it in two and a half years, I'm kinda going through withdrawal."

He didn't bother to correct him on the fact that ramen wasn't addictive and instead motioned for Naruto to proceed him to the street. Grinning as if he'd just won a lifetime supply of his favorite food, Naruto jumped down and ran over to where Jiraiya was waiting to fill him in on the lunch plans. Kakashi followed after him, immediately opening his new book to start in on it while the younger man continued talking animatedly to his mentor about all the different ramen he was going to order. As was always the case with Jiraiya's work, it only took two sentences for him to be completely hooked and to tune out Naruto's excited chatter.

As they walked down the street, the blond completely oblivious to the fact that his audience wasn't listening, Jiraiya fell into step next to Kakashi and murmured, "As promised, I'm leaving Naruto with you."

The somber tone to the other man's voice made Kakashi glance up from his book curiously.

Jiraiya had never fully looked his age, but the lines near his eyes were deeper than they had been. His gaze was fixed squarely on Naruto's back and there was no mistaking the flicker of anxiety in his dark eyes. Something had happened during the time they'd been away from the village, and whatever it was didn't sit well with the Sannin. "Akatsuki's been rather active as of late. They might make an attempt at him soon."

Ah. That explained it. Kakashi had heard some talk around the jounin facility about Akatsuki and their growing strength. There were rumors circulating that some of the hidden villages had lost their biju, but as was always the case when dealing with ninja no one could confirm whether this was true or not. Even in times of potential crisis, the villages were still unwilling to trust one another. "What do you intend to do?" he asked quietly, following the older man's gaze to where Naruto was still detailing off the list of food he wanted to eat. He wondered vaguely whether the list had moved on from lunch and into dinner yet.

The Sannin released a low breath and replied, "Since the villages aren't communicating with each other, someone has to substantiate whether the rumors are true. If Akatsuki _is_ collecting tailed beasts, we need to find out how many they have already. I'm going to head out, gather as much information as possible so that we can—"

His words were cut off by a loud, startled squawk of surprise. Naruto had come to a dead stop in the middle of the street and Kakashi didn't need to see his face to know his jaw was probably hanging wide open.

After all, standing not even six feet in front of him was none other than Haruno Sakura, the girl he'd been sweet on all during their Team Seven days.

Kakashi suppressed a sigh as Sakura's round green eyes swept their way, locking first on Naruto in utter shock and then on him in horror. He gave the barest shake of his head to let her know he hadn't said anything and immediately some of the fear washed away from her face. Too bad his own trepidation didn't fade as easily. This was going to be an extremely awkward conversation. All he could really hope for was that in addition to the physical changes, Naruto's feelings for Sakura had changed as well.

But that seemed like too much to ask for out of life.

Naruto might be completely oblivious to subtleties, but Jiraiya was not. He'd spent an entire lifetime observing people down to the last flutter of their lashes, and not just for 'research' purposes either. When the validity of the information he was gathering depended strongly on whether or not a person was telling the truth, being able to read an informant could mean the difference between total success and absolute disaster.

And the truth he saw was that Tsunade's pretty little assistant was having an affair with her team leader. It was so blatantly apparent in the way she kept glancing at him and he kept ignoring her like she wasn't there that they might as well have just announced it to the entire village. Guess some people took the whole student/teacher fetish a little too literally… not that he could blame Kakashi one bit. That girl had the best legs he'd seen in a long time.

He quickly looked away from said limbs as Tsunade shot him a warning glare to keep his eyes and hands off her apprentice. Well, that didn't mean he couldn't _think _about her at least. Jiraiya made a mental note to drag Kakashi off later for a chat about the benefits of taking a nubile lover. He returned his attention to the reunion right as the nubile lover in question asked with a pretty color tinting her cheeks, "So… how do I look? Have I changed at all?"

And then his apprentice very stupidly laughed and said, "No, not at all! You look just like you did before!"

Jiraiya slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned while Tsunade bit her lower lip to keep from laughing at the fury on Sakura's face. Idiot… how many times did he have to tell him that when a woman asked how she looked, the answer was _always_ beautiful? Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder at the soft cough coming from one very quiet copy ninja, and even though he couldn't see the younger man's face he could very well imagine the satisfied smirk that was doubtlessly there.

Fortunately for Naruto, Sakura forgot her irritation rather quickly as she noticed something else that was different about her teammate. "You're taller than me!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding accusatory.

Naruto laughed sheepishly and shrugged. "Yeah… about time I caught up, huh?"

Whatever Sakura was about to say was cut off as a cloud of billowing white smoke erupted right in front of their little group… and a stark naked girl with the sweetest little ass stepped out with a flirtatious smile and a wink. Oh, yeah… what a welcome home present! Jiraiya had always said Konoha women were the most beautiful in the world, and he was _so _glad that hadn't changed in his absence!

But before he could reassemble enough coherent speech to get a name from her, a loud pop sounded and the girl vanished in thin air. In her place… was some scrawny looking kid who was grinning proudly at Naruto. Jiraiya's shoulders slumped in disappointment as he realized that he'd been a victim of the Sexy no Jutsu. Again. Son of a bitch… That really needed to be added to the forbidden techniques list. It was just downright cruel.

"So, how was that, niichan?" the boy demanded eagerly, his dark eyes glinting with anxious anticipation for Naruto's approval. "Pretty sexy, right?"

Naruto let out a heavy sigh and shook his head sadly. "Y'know, Konohamaru… you shouldn't be using that jutsu anymore." Three sets of stunned eyes fixed on the blond like he'd just sprouted a tail or two. Tsunade and Konohamaru continued gaping in disbelief at him while Sakura's expression shifted into one of almost maternal pride.

Unfortunately, that sense of pride was short lived as Naruto sucked in a deep breath and announced for all the world (or at least this part of the street) to hear, "That jutsu is insignificant! I'm gonna show you my _new_ perverted ninjutsu, one that's even _better_ than that old one! Ready? Watch carefully!"

He never made it passed the first seal. Jiraiya cringed in sympathy as Sakura screamed, "You idiot!" and landed a wicked right hook across Naruto's jaw. The boy went slamming so hard into the ground that the dirt cracked and a cloud of dust and rubble coiled through the air. A startled yelp came from Konohamaru as he scurried behind Kakashi for protection from the enraged female. The jounin glanced curiously from the quivering boy to where Naruto was sprawled on the ground, shrugged and went back to his book.

Jiraiya swallowed hard and took a step away from both Sakura and a smugly smirking Tsunade. Of course _she_ would enjoy her apprentice's handiwork. If he weren't terrified of receiving the same brutal treatment, he would have congratulated Tsunade on making it so that every man in the entire village would be too afraid of Sakura to ever think of wronging her.

But now Sakura had a brutal hold on Naruto's shirt and she was shaking his prone, groaning body like a rag doll. "You moron!" she snarled, her green eyes all but burning with ire. "I was wrong, you haven't changed a bit! I can't _believe_ I thought you would have matured at all! Why, you're just as bad as—,"

"Sakura… calm down. You're scaring Konohamaru," Kakashi interjected in an attempt to not only deflect her attention onto him but to pacify her as well. Konohamaru meanwhile whimpered and clung even more tightly to Kakashi's back as blazing green eyes snapped their attention on him.

"Well, it serves him right!" the girl continued to rail, releasing Naruto to crumble to the ground in favor of stalking over toward her new target. Kakashi very subtly maneuvered Konohamaru further away as Sakura marched directly up to him and poked a finger in his chest hard. "He's too young to be doing that sort of thing anyway, don't you think?"

"Um…" Kakashi shot a beseeching glance at Jiraiya, begging silently for a little help. Jiraiya pretended he didn't notice. Hey, he wasn't an idiot. There was no way in hell he was putting himself in front of an angry woman with fists that could break concrete like it was papier-mâché. Besides… Sakura was Kakashi's hellion. Let _him_ figure out how to tame the savage beast. He was still, after more than a couple decades, trying to figure out his own.

Jiraiya cracked an eye open at the scoffing sound that came from the blonde woman next to him. "I hand him over to you for two years, and he comes back a spitting likeness of you," she complained, giving him a disapproving frown.

"You're one to talk," he muttered back, crossing his arms over his chest with a slight pout. "She's you in miniature." Beauty, brains and deadly fists… how could Tsunade _not_ see the resemblance between Sakura and herself?

Tsunade glared at him, clearly not amused at having her accusation thrown back at her. Jiraiya arched a brow, challenging her to deny what he'd said was true. Shaking her head, the Hokage held up both hands and said loud enough to be heard over Sakura's tirade, "Alright, enough! You've had ample time to reacquaint yourselves, so now it's time to get down to business. Kakashi… do what you need to do."

Immediately, both Sakura and Naruto turned bemused eyes toward their team leader. Jiraiya's brow creased as he slid a questioning look to Tsunade. Just what was it that Kakashi needed to do here? Tsunade offered a faint smile and pointed discreetly to the pouch on the back of the jounin's belt.

Following her direction, Jiraiya's eyebrows lifted a little as Kakashi reached into the pouch… and pulled out two silver bells. Ah, yes… _that_ test. A confident smile twitched his lips as he crossed his arms. He had a feeling this time was going to be vastly different. The only person who truly knew what Naruto was now capable of was himself. Combine that with the talents Tsunade undoubtedly passed off onto Sakura and he'd be surprised if Kakashi came out of this little test unscathed.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kakashi asked quietly, looking from one to the other critically. "Things are going to be a little different now. I'm not your teacher. You're not my students. As of now, we're a team comprised of equals. But first… I'm curious to see how you've both changed."

The bells tinkled brightly as he dangled them before his two teammates. Naruto and Sakura broke out in broad smiles at the sight of the silver spheres. He gave Sakura a little nudge and leaned in to whisper something in her ear, which in turn made her smile widen further. Kakashi raised a brow as if questioning what they found so funny but didn't press for an explanation. "The same rules apply. Unless you come at me with the intent to kill, you won't succeed in getting the bells."

"You might wanna tie those on extra tight, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied, his blue eyes hardening in challenge. "And keep a medic on call, too."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," the jounin replied nonchalantly. "In the unlikely event I should need medical assistance, Sakura-chan is more than capable of nursing me back to health. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

A pretty blush stained Sakura's cheeks as Naruto spun toward her in disbelief. "Wait… you're a medic now?" he exclaimed, eyes widening.

Sakura smiled in embarrassment and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Um… yeah," she answered shyly.

"She's very good too, from what I can tell," Kakashi continued, a mischievous glint flickering through his exposed eye. "An expert in mouth-to-mouth."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes heavenward while Sakura cast an I'm-going-to-kill-you glare at the amused copy ninja. Mouth-to-mouth… such an overused pun! He was sorely disappointed in his number one fan for taking that route. Naruto though was too stunned by the realization that his teammate had become a medic to take note of the thinly veiled insinuation. "Wow," the blond breathed. "That's really cool!"

The color deepened on her cheeks and her smile brightened just a bit further. "Really? You think so?"

"Hell, yeah!" he laughed back. "Just one thing; doesn't that mean you _shouldn't_ go clobbering people left an' right? Seeing as medics are all about makin' people better, I mean."

Sakura glowered and said through clenched teeth, "We make exception for perverts and idiots."

Before Naruto could go and put his foot in it further, Kakashi intervened by placing a hand on the blond's shoulder and suggesting, "Perhaps we should head to one of the training fields now. This is a twenty-four hour test, so we shouldn't waste any more time on it."

And just like that, the competitive gleam returned to their eyes as they followed after their team leader. Jiraiya laughed softly after the departing trio, his heart warming to see his charge in such good spirits. While Naruto had been nothing but pleasant (thought sometimes irritating) company for the last couple years, there'd been a spark missing. His smile hadn't been as bright, his laugher just a little bit forced. It was good to see him acting completely like himself again.

Tsunade moved to stand next to him, her hands braced in her hips and her jaw tense and a tight smile curving her red lips. "A third book?" she grit out, speaking low enough so that only he could hear. "That's cheating, you old bastard."

Jiraiya smirked and murmured back, "And siccing your young, attractive apprentice on him _isn't_ cheating?" He didn't have any evidence that Tsunade _had_ ordered Sakura to seduce Kakashi, but he wouldn't put it passed her. It wasn't your every day relationship, to be sure. Teachers don't normally date their students outside of fiction and Sakura didn't seem like the type of girl to even pursue such a liaison, not without a little motivation at least. "So, how'd you get her to do it? Bribery? Blackmail?"

Amber eyes flashed in annoyance at him as she jabbed a finger into his shoulder hard enough to make him wince. "Adding a third book isn't going to change anything. I _will_ win that bet!" She was purposely avoiding the question, which meant he must have guessed correctly.

"Tsunade, that's not gonna happen, and not because of your long standing record in losing. Nothing short of threatening the lives of his teammates will make _my_ number one fan part with his books. Not even a sweet young thing like Sakura."

She nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing angrily. "Don't get cocky, Jiraiya," she warned as she turned and started walking back to the Hokage tower. "There's still five months before the deadline. And the next time you directly interfere with our bet, I'm going to ban you _and_ your books from the village!"

Jiraiya grinned at her retreating back, letting his eyes slip lower to admire her ass, and called after her, "It wasn't me who gave him the book; it was Naruto!" Her response was a gesture most unbefitting of the Hokage and made him laugh loudly as she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

Her accusing him of influencing the bet directly was like the pot calling the kettle black, as far as he was concerned. Still though… five months was a long time, and he knew probably better than anyone how fickle lonely hearts could be. There was always the chance that those two could actually fall in love. And everyone knew that a man in love did very stupid things.

His gaze returned to the specks that were now Team Seven and he tapped a finger against his chin speculatively. Maybe some more indirect action was needed to insure Kakashi didn't do anything incongruous of his genius status… such as give his books to Sakura as a sign of his undying love.

Then again… Tsunade had never won a bet in her entire life. Perhaps there was nothing to worry about after all.

Deciding he would just sit back and observe for now, Jiraiya wandered down the street to his favorite bathhouse for a bit of researching. Hopefully, that little nothing-to-see-here jutsu he'd placed on the peephole before leaving two years ago had held up. He'd be very, very upset if someone had patched up a perfectly good hole in the wall.


	23. How Could a Fistfight be Romantic?

**Thank you a thousand times over, slinkymilinky, for that absolutely gorgeous artwork.**** I****'ve got it as my laptop background now and it****'s probably gonna stay there forever.**** Everyone, you MUST stalk this woman.**** She****'s not only an amazing artist (check her out on deviantart) but she****'s a fantastic writer as well.**** Poke at her fic ****"Porcelain Orchid****", you won****'t regret it.**

**Thank you also to Veronika-chan for actually making a COMIC of some of the scenes from the story! She's got one posted up now and has more on the way. Nika-chan, you are so fantastic!**

* * *

This was so incredibly awkward.

Sakura continued to nod and make little sounds of interest as Naruto talked and talked and talked about his adventures with Jiraiya. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in what he was saying, more that her mind was still reeling from the fact that he was there to begin with— and that she had no idea how to tell him she was dating their ex-teacher. Naruto treated his team like it was his family, and in a way it really was. What was he going to say about her dating the man he looked up to like an older brother?

Maybe they _shouldn't_ tell Naruto about their relationship. After all, she was only supposed to be dating Kakashi for his books. Perhaps, for the sake of the mission as well as her heart, it would be best to keep it quiet. For now, at least. Maybe once she came up with a way to salvage things it'd be okay to… No, that wasn't fair to Naruto. He deserved to know, more so than some of the people who knew already. If she wanted this to work and for everyone to be okay with it, they all needed to be on the same page— and that included her and Kakashi.

Sakura's gaze slid from Naruto to the man who seemed to be constantly in her thoughts nowadays. Kakashi… how could one person be the most confusing aspect in her life and the one that made her the happiest at the same time? Whatever the complications in their relationship — their age difference, the fact that he was her team leader, her own vendetta — none of it really mattered when she was with him. All he had to do was make fun of her, give her a warm glance, hold her hand, kiss her breathless… and she would melt.

Even though she knew the attraction went both ways, she was stumped as to how they could possibly stay together. If Kakashi found out about her ulterior motives, she wouldn't blame him in the least for feeling utterly and completely betrayed. Hell, she'd probably kill him if she found out he'd been playing her like this! But at the same time, she felt she needed to tell him everything. If she told him about the mission but explained that she'd quit because she cared about him, then everything would be fine. She was certain that if she quit, he'd be _much_ more inclined to forgive her than if she stuck with it.

What she felt for him was much more than the love she'd professed to have for Sasuke. She didn't know _what_ to call it though, and she wasn't sure she wanted Kakashi to know how she felt either, at least not yet. Not until she figured it out for herself first. She knew she was attracted to him physically. Seriously, how could any woman _not_ be turned on by that face or the way he kissed or… Sakura's cheeks flushed as her stomach fluttered in response to her wandering thoughts.

Was_ this _what it felt like to love someone? To want them with you, even if they made you want to throttle them half the time? To wake up every morning hoping to run into them, if only for a quick smile and hello? To lose yourself every time they kissed or touched you? She didn't know, but she was hesitant to use the word 'love' for what she had with Kakashi. After the way her first love confession had panned out, she was a bit more guarded about saying the word to someone else. Even if that someone was the best thing to happen to her for a very long time.

Damn it… she _really_ wished she'd had the opportunity to talk with Tsunade about all this! She didn't want to hurt Kakashi, but at the same time she didn't want to disappoint her mentor and by extension herself. If she could just figure out how serious this bet was, or if there was even a bet to begin with, then it'd make her life a whole lot easier. All she needed was one tiny hint that Tsunade was in fact testing her. Just one little eye twitch or smirk and she'd know what she needed to do.

She tore her eyes way from watching Kakashi's ass (and no, she didn't feel bad about ogling him considering he'd done it to her more than a few times) when she heard Naruto suck in a sharp, surprised breath. Following the line of his wide-eyed gaze, she felt a hard pang of sadness slam into her when she noticed where they were; Training Ground Three. Their old practice area when they'd been Team Seven.

If Kakashi realized where he'd taken them, he didn't give any indication of it. Instead, he swung the chain link fence open and flipped the sign to 'occupied' before stepping back and motioning for his teammates to precede him. Sakura heard Naruto gulp heavily before he took a deep breath and crossed into the training area. It took her a few seconds longer to collect her shaken nerves and suppress the memories that came flooding back at the sight of such familiar terrain, but she soon found herself walking across the threshold, her shoulder grazing Kakashi's chest as she went.

"Enjoying the view?" he murmured, his dark eye glinting mischievously.

Sakura tilted her chin up at him and replied haughtily, "As a matter of fact, I was." She smirked at the surprise that flickered across his face and walked away, a feeling of triumph coursing through her. If that was how he wanted to play, then fine. She could do it, too.

She heard Kakashi clear his throat slightly as he finally closed the gate and took the lead again, this time taking care that his backside was always within her line of vision. Despite the sudden dip in her mood, she couldn't help smiling.

They came out from the line of trees that ran around the perimeter of the training ground and onto a wide, flat stretch of grass that was all too familiar. The grass was a little more worn than it had been and the boulder was definitely sporting a few new scars, but it was almost exactly as it had been nearly three years prior. Even the wooden posts were still there, and as they passed between them, Naruto gave the middle one a quick pat. That'd been where Kakashi had tied him up and ordered them not to feed him. It was the place where they'd stopped being three people and became a real team.

"Alright," Kakashi said as he turned to face them, his book still open and his eye roving over the pages greedily. She had no idea how he could read and talk at the same time without losing focus on either task. "Like I said, the rules are the same. You have twenty-four hours to get the bells by whatever means necessary."

Naruto chuckled softly and looked around the training field, his blue eyes carrying a hint of sadness to them. "Not even this place has changed much, has it?" he commented. "That's kinda cool … I guess …"

"Yeah," Sakura mumbled back, rubbing her arm as a sudden chill crawled down her skin.

It was strange being back here with three out of the four original Team Seven members. So much had changed and yet this place still managed to preserve all the old memories — not to mention all the old pain. She was over Sasuke, and had been for some time now, but it still hurt to think about him. About his betrayal and how none of them had been strong enough to help him. About the way he'd rejected her, making it very obvious she was beneath both his affections and what he termed useful. And while the pain he'd caused had been the catalyst she'd needed to approach Tsunade for training, the wound was still fresh enough to sting.

"Oh, that's right. This is where we used to train back when Sasuke was part of the team, wasn't it?" their team leader remarked absently.

Sakura closed her eyes and silently berated him for his social deficiencies. Give the man a kunai and he could show you how to kill a person in about a hundred different ways. Put him in a position where emotional sensitivity was needed and he self-destructed like a bad exploding tag. It was hard enough being here and thinking about Sasuke's absence, did he _have_ to go and say it out loud?

Kakashi, seeming to sense he'd just put his foot in a steaming pile of emotional crap, coughed into his fist and shifted awkwardly. "So, ah… shall we get started?" he inquired hesitantly as he returned the book to his belt pouch.

It wasn't the most subtle change in topic ever, but his effort to distract them from their glum thoughts was still very touching. Sakura used the excuse of digging out her gloves from the pouch on her belt to compose herself, and she knew Naruto was doing much of the same as he fussed with his clothing. "What, you're not gonna read this time, Kakashi-sensei?" the boy mocked as he swung his arms from side to side to loosen his muscles.

Sakura tugged the battered black leather onto her hand and made a fist, the material creaking as it stretched under the pressure. "Or maybe you've already finished it?" she taunted, which made her blond teammate snicker.

Excited adrenaline was beginning to seep through her bloodstream in response to the tension before a fight. She was more than a little eager to get this thing started, and not just because she needed a distraction from all the memories. This was the first time Kakashi would see just how far she'd come over the last two and a half years, and she was anxious to show her skills off.

Kakashi pulled his hands from his pockets and immediately her gaze fixed on them, her body tensed in preparation for whatever jutsu he was about to whip up. She knew from experience just how fast his hands were, but all she'd need were the first three to determine his method of attack in order to counter it.

"No, I think I'll save it for later," he murmured, his voice carrying a coolness to it that sent a shiver down her spine. "Besides, I have a feeling this time I should probably take it seriously."

Sakura's breath sucked in when he reached up and lifted the hitae-ate covering his eye … and the black and red sharingan came to life. It was like the very air was suddenly charged with energy, as if electricity was simmering on a low crackle and even the slightest move would set it off. The hairs on her arms stood up and her skin prickled in response to Kakashi's chakra permeating the space between them. It was more than a little intimidating.

No one moved and the battle tension kept building and building. Sakura focused on controlling her breathing, counting her heart beats to make sure the rate was within normal parameters. The energy continued to swell until it reached the point where she felt she was being suffocated by it. She realized, belatedly, that it was more than just the sharingan at work. Part of that awful, crushing energy was coming from Naruto as well. She had a moment to wonder whether her chakra felt anything like that to the others when the dam finally gave way and all the tension exploded in the blink of an eye.

The only reason she knew shuriken had been thrown was by the shrill whistling of metal slicing through the air. What she hadn't seen was that _two_ people had moved. Naruto was only a fraction of a second faster than Kakashi but the latter's aim was more accurate. With a startled yelp, Naruto pushed off the ground to avoid the flashing metal stars. Sakura could only watch in awe as Kakashi twisted around with the blond's movement and sent off another volley of shuriken.

A loud poof broke through the air and in the wake of the following smoke another Naruto appeared. The clone grabbed its creator in midair and hauled him out of the way of the shuriken. Naruto hit the ground and went skidding backward with a giant shuriken in hand, and Sakura couldn't help grinning as he drew his arm back to fling the weapon at their leader. Despite what she'd said earlier … she had to admit he really _had_ improved.

But the giant shuriken never left Naruto's grip. A surprised grunt broke from him as Kakashi suddenly appeared at his back, one hand gripping disorderly blond spikes while the other directed the shuriken to the back of his captive's throat. Wow … she'd always known he was fast, but that was ridiculous speed! Maybe it was just that she hadn't seen Kakashi in action for a while (she didn't count the mugging incident as being _real _action), but it seemed like something was different about him as well. Perhaps she and Naruto weren't the only ones to have gotten better.

"You're still quick to start, I see," Kakashi commented, ignoring the clone behind him with a kunai to his back.

Naruto tilted his head back and flashed a cheeky grin at the taller man. "Weren't you the one that said never let the enemy get your back?" he teased. "Or are you just gettin' too old for all this?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed before he swung his leg backward … and nailed the clone right in the groin. Sakura winced as the clone disappeared in a burst of smoke and Naruto let out a pained whimper. "Sorry about that. You know how it is, getting old like me. You lose your balance all the time," the copy ninja deadpanned, completely uncaring that his captive was squirming uncomfortably.

He released Naruto abruptly and the blond immediately cupped protective hands over his crotch as he limped away a couple steps. Sakura froze when watery blue eyes fixed on her pleadingly. "Not a chance in hell!" she snapped, pointedly turning away from him. Nothing in the world could make her touch Naruto … down _… there_.

"You're so cruel, Sakura-chan," Naruto complained, but it was falling on deaf ears. After a few seconds, he managed to shake it off and square his shoulders again. He took a deep breath and released it, his brow furrowing in determination as he turned to face Kakashi. "Okay, let's do this — for _real_ this time!"

Kakashi nodded once and … disappeared. Sakura blinked in surprise as the pale smoke continued to curl and drift on the light breeze. It was unbelievable how fast his hands moved. She hadn't been able to catch a single seal! Okay … she knew it wasn't a transportation jutsu. That required a scroll linking the person to a destination. Usually. She'd see Kakashi use it without a scroll before. But this was a test of their abilities; he wouldn't be trying to run away from them.

The only reasons anyone disappeared were to escape or plan an attack. And since he wasn't trying to escape, that meant he was planning an attack. All she had to do was figure out where the assault would come from and she could take away his advantage. Her eyes scanned the area around them, trying to catch even the slightest glimpse of him hiding. Nothing, not even a tuft of pale hair. So, if he was nowhere to be seen, that meant he had to be …

Sakura drew her fist back and slammed it into the compacted dirt beneath her feet. At the very moment she made impact, she released a sharp burst of chakra and grinned as the resulting explosion tore the earth apart a good twenty feet around her. Naruto yelped in horror and dove for safety as the dirt began to crumble under his feet. And as great slabs of rock tilted upward at odd angles … a similar expression could be seen on the face of Hatake Kakashi.

She smirked at his ashen features and taunted, "Found you, sensei."

Kakashi nodded weakly and said in a rather thin voice, "Yes. Yes, you did." A slight shudder ran through him, and she couldn't help giggling in delight. The only other time she could recall ever seeing him so shocked was when she'd sucked eel sauce from his finger at the festival.

"_Crap_, Sakura! You almost killed me!" Naruto shouted from where he was sprawled across a patch of solid ground. He had one hand pressed dramatically to his chest and a thin sheen of sweat coated his brow.

"I did not!" she fired back, turning around to shoot Naruto a scathing glare. "I knew _exactly_ what I was doing, thank you!"

He back-peddled, holding his hands up defensively as if she were about to come over and punch his head clean off his shoulders. "I-I wasn't saying you didn't know what you were doing! I was just … maybe next time you could warn a guy, huh?"

An agreeing grunt came from behind her and she turned in time to see Kakashi hauling himself out of the wrecked bedrock. Sakura arched an amused brow as he swiped a hand down either arm to clean the dust from his sleeves, the action causing a dull cloud to form around him. "Impressive," he commented dryly. "But now it's _my_ turn!"

Before Sakura could so much as finish blinking, his palm had connected with her chest. A condensed burst of wind exploded from his open hand and the force of it not only knocked the breath out of her but also sent her tumbling across the torn up ground. Sakura winced in pain and wheezed as she pressed a hand to her chest. A quick feel at the tender spot told her he'd actually cracked one of her ribs. That son of a _bitch! _The warmth of her own chakra seeping into the sore flesh was soothing, but it also distracted her from noticing Kakashi's follow up attack until he was right on top of her.

Sakura yelped and rolled to one side in order to avoid the palm heading right for her shoulder, his intention obviously being to dislocate the joint and prevent her from using her arm. Rocks and debris cut her bare skin as she gained her footing in time to block the slash of his hand to her side. She'd barely had time to defend herself before he dropped into a crouch and swept his foot toward her ankles. He was trying to force her airborne, which would put her at a severe disadvantage for his next attack. Chakra raced down her leg, but it wasn't quite fast enough to absorb the blow completely. A sharp gasp was torn from her as pain snapped up her calf from the impact.

She supposed she should have been pissed off with him for coming at her full force, but she wasn't. It was actually rather flattering to know that _the _Hatake Kakashi was treating her, the girl who'd been the weakest link in Team Seven, as a serious opponent. He was acknowledging the fact that she'd grown, become strong enough to put up a serious fight. If it weren't for the fact the bastard had hit her, she probably would have blushed.

This time, she pressed the offensive as she took a running leap into the air. She knew that it would be impossible for her to make an overhead assault while her opponent was watching her, but that wasn't what she was trying to do. As expected, Kakashi jumped out of the way and her fist broke through the ground as if it were made of melted butter. But in the process of dodging her attack, it forced Kakashi to put his back to Naruto.

Kakashi bent backward, dropping one hand to the ground for support as a kunai whistled by where his belt would have been. His leg swung up, blocking the follow up punch from the blond, and then he was on his feet and forming seals.

"Naruto, get out of there!" Sakura shouted just as lightning crackled through the air. Naruto's eyes widened as pale blue streaks of light shot across the ground toward him. It wasn't a raikiri by any means, but it was certainly strong enough to take her teammate out if it hit him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sakura slammed her palm into the ground and let out another rush of chakra. This time, rather than breaking the ground to pieces, she used the chakra sort of like a shovel and forced it to rise upward, effectively forming a barrier between Naruto and Kakashi. The lighting hit the wall of chakra-infused earth and dissipated in a shower of blue-tinted sparks.

When Kakashi looked her way, the approval in his gaze very nearly made her cheeks flare up. "Countering a lightning based jutsu using earth as an insulator; quick thinking, Sakura."

She shrugged and tried to play it off like it was no big deal, but she couldn't quite keep the smile from her face. "Just common sense, that's all," she replied before racing across the distance to press the offensive.

Her fist whistled through the air toward his head and he dropped onto his back to avoid it. A foot connected hard with her stomach and sent her reeling backwards, choking for breath. He was on his feet in an instant and charging at her the next. Sakura threw her arms up, blocked the punches, jabbed for his gut and managed to connect with his hip hard enough to make him grunt. She swept her foot toward his ankles and he kicked it away; she aimed a right hook for his jaw, he struck her exposed side. Every move she made, he compensated for and reflected back on her until she was hardly thinking about her actions and merely reacting on gut instinct.

Blow after blow rained down on her as Kakashi continued to drive her further back into the tree line, and somehow she managed to either deflect the attacks completely or redirect them so they weren't nearly as devastating. If he forced her into the trees, it'd be all over. Maneuverability would be difficult, and she was already having a hard enough time keeping track of his hands. She needed to end this. _Now._ All she had to do was land that one perfect punch and he would be down like a sack of bricks.

Sakura grit her teeth and tried to keep up with his flashing hands, tried to redirect her chakra at a moment's notice to sneak in an attack of her own. One of the first combat lessons they'd learned at the Academy was to avoid close-quarters encounters at all costs. The only time a shinobi got close to their target was to make the kill. Kakashi was breaking that rule a thousand times over. If he wanted to defeat her, all he had to do was whip out some kind of ninjutsu. Instead, he was catering to one of her strong points, that being taijutsu. There _had_ to be a reason for that. It was stupid to play into your enemy's strengths, not unless…

Not unless your enemy's forte was chakra-enhanced strength. Kakashi was forcing her to deplete her chakra in defending herself so that she was not only useless to Naruto but a sitting duck as well. The realization dawned on her in a split second, and it took that same amount of time for her to change her course of action. Laying him out cold was no longer a priority. Getting the hell _away_ from him was.

A branch brushed her shoulder and she knew she'd run out of time and space. Sakura growled under her breath and did the only thing she could think of; she channeled chakra to her right foot and stomped it down into the ground. Kakashi was airborne the minute the earth began to cave in under his feet. He'd obviously been anticipating her to do that, but she didn't care. It at leased forced him to back off for the time being.

Kakashi landed in the tree just overhead, balancing easily on the thin branch as if it were several feet thicker than it actually was. "You _have_ gotten faster," he commented, but the praise was tempered by the detached tone to the words.

"That's nothing," she boasted breathlessly as a resolute smile curved her lips. She raised her fists again and crouched into a defensive stance. "Wanna come out of that tree, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Want to guard your back a bit better?"

The words were whispered rather intimately in her ear, and the Bunshin in the tree disappeared with a soft pop and grey smoke. Sakura spun around with a startled gasp and a fistful of chakra. Kakashi caught her wrist and used her spinning momentum to twist her arm up along the length of her spine. The movement sent a sharp stab of pain through her arm, but she shoved it aside as she reached back with her free hand to grab whatever she could of him — that being the collar of his vest. Letting out an angry snarl, she hurled him up over her shoulder and into the air.

It would have been a perfect toss … had he not kept hold of her arm and taken her down with him. Sakura's back slammed into the ground and her breath exploded from her lungs for the second time in one day. Her vision blurred and for a moment she thought she was about to pass out. But then a heavy weight settled across her lower stomach and she realized the reason everything looked dim was because Kakashi was looming over her.

She grunted and began to fight like mad to throw him off. Her arms swung wildly, she bucked her hips and tried to ram her knees into his back. None of her attacks were particularly well coordinated, but she was so pissed off at him that she didn't care. All she wanted was to inflict _some_ kind of damage on his person.

Kakashi absorbed her wild movements easily, tightening his thighs around her sides as he quickly caught her wrists and pinned them over her head with one hand. The other closed around her throat, not squeezing but definitely firm enough to imply that he could if he wanted to. Sakura glowered and tried to jerk her hands free, gasping when his fingers dug in a little harder. "Stop moving," he ordered.

"Go to hell!" she spat back as she gave a particularly violent twist of her hips … and froze when she felt the tell-tale press of an erection against her belly. Almost immediately after realizing this, a tight feeling wound through her stomach and she could feel a pleasant heat between her legs. Her eyes widened in shock — both at his reaction and hers.

A faint pink color peered out over the top of his mask, and his ears were a slightly darker shade. He cleared his throat and mumbled so low she almost didn't catch it, "Sorry."

Sakura nodded as she licked her dry lips. She felt his penis twitch and couldn't quite hold back a thin moan. The heat between her legs became a throbbing need for something more. Her thighs rubbed together and the resulting friction made the breath leave her lungs in a soft pant. This time, it was Kakashi to moan as his hips gave a subtle roll against her. The hand on her throat loosened, became more caressing as his thumb traced the underside of her chin gently. Sakura's heart was hammering about a mile a minute as his thumb stroked higher, rubbing across her lower lip. He was leaning closer to her and his heavily lidded eyes were drifting closed…

And then Kakashi was suddenly bowled off of her by an orange streak that came out of nowhere to tackle him around the middle. Sakura let out a small cry of surprise and sat up, pushing her tangled hair from her face and blinking dazedly at what had just happened. It took her a moment to realign herself before she was on her feet and racing over to where Naruto was … staring blankly at the spot where Kakashi _should _have been. Instead, what was lying on the forest floor was a small black ball.

There was a soft hissing sound and then Naruto was reeling away from the ball with a loud squawk of shock and a thin cloud of smoke. His hands scrubbed frantically across his reddening eyes and his cheeks were damp with tears. "Owowow … _damn it_! It _stings!_"

"Naruto, stop rubbing your eyes!" Sakura ordered. The medic side of her kicked in as she took a deep breath, narrowed her eyes, and ran in to yank him away from the smoke by the back of his shirt. Even still, her own eyes were stinging a littler as sh grabbed his wrists and pried them away from his face. "It's tear gas and you'll only make it worse by rubbing!"

"But it _stings_, Sakura-chan!" he complained, blinking puffy blue eyes at her.

"I know it does, but you _have_ to stop touching them." He nodded slowly and gave a hard sniffle as the gas triggered his sinus response as well. Satisfied that he was going to do as he was told, she quickly reached behind her and dug around in the pouch on her hip for the supply scroll that every medic carried with them. It was essentially a well stocked First-Aid kit conveniently compressed into one slim scroll.

Sakura pulled it out, flicked it open and did the three seals needed to activate it. As soon as her chakra came into contact with the paper, the characters written in black ink began to turn into the objects listed; gauze, bandages, tweezers, needles … and flushing solvent. She grabbed the tiny bottle and quickly unscrewed the cap. "Okay, tip your head back for me and hold still. And try not to blink too much."

"Okay," Naruto groaned, fisting his hands against his thighs as she scooted closer to him. "I'm gonna get him for this, I swear!"

"We'll have to find him first and we can only do that _after _you're able to see again." Sakura leaned over him, her torso pressing against his shoulder and her knees on either side of one of his thighs. He sucked in a sharp breath and she frowned disapprovingly. "Hold. Still."

"Sorry," he mumbled, and for some reason he sounded incredibly embarrassed. That would make the second time in less than twenty minutes that a man apologized to her sheepishly. Unsure what exactly Naruto had to be self-conscious about, Sakura shook her head and very gingerly parted his swollen eyelids.

His shoulders jerked a little, but to his credit he managed to stay still enough for her to squeeze a few drops of solvent into his eye. Immediately, the lid closed in protest at the thick liquid, and as a drop squeezed from the corner of his eye, she dabbed it carefully with a little gauze. Sakura moved to his other eye and repeated the process before sitting back on her heels and recapping the bottle. "How do they feel?" she asked.

Naruto gave a few experimental blinks and sniffed loudly. "Fine, I guess. Everything's a little blurry though."

"That's just the solvent. Give it a couple seconds and you'll be fine." She moved away from him and resealed the supply scroll while he adjusted to the fluid in his eye. "You'll need to wash your hands before touching your eyes again, and don't wipe at your nose either. If the irritant gets into your sinuses, it'll affect your eyes."

"Touchin' my nose can make my eyes itch? That's so messed up!"

Sakura laughed at his disbelief and shrugged. "Well, not really. The entire front of your face is all interconnected. Your eyes, nose, mouth … they've got all kinds of little passages and cavities leading from one to the other."

"Wow, really?" Naruto started to bring his hand up to touch his face but stopped when he remembered her warning.

She nodded and sat down on the ground next to him. "Really. That's how Kiba can drink milk and shoot it out of his eye."

"Huh. And all this time I thought he was pullin' a genjutsu or somethin'."

"Nope, it's completely natural."

"Weird."

Grinning, she nudged his side and said, "There was this one guy who came into the hospital one night. He'd been at a bar earlier and had a run in with Anko-san. She was so ticked off that she took a snake and inserted it—"

"I don't wanna know where she inserted it!" he exclaimed, pressing his hands over his ears. He shivered and Sakura snickered at his response.

After a moment, Naruto slowly lowered his hands and shook his head. "I bet you see a _lot_ of weird stuff, huh, Sakura-chan?"

She picked up a rather pretty maple leaf from the ground and spun the stem between her fingers. "I guess. After a while though, you get kind of used to it. You _have_ to, otherwise you can't do your job." Sakura glanced over at him and the naked awe on his face made her blush. "Quit looking at me like that."

"I can't help it," Naruto said, an edge of laughter creeping into his words. "It's just … you sound so cool when you're talkin' about all that stuff."

Her cheeks burned hotter at the compliment and she tucked a piece of hair self-consciously behind her ear. "So, um … how are your eyes?" she asked, changing the topic to something other than herself.

He gave them a few experimental blinks before turning to her with a beaming smile. "Hey, those drop things really worked! Thanks, Sakura-chan!"

"No problem," Sakura laughed as she pushed to her feet. She offered her hand and he took it, letting her haul him upright. "Now how about we go relieve Kakashi-sensei of his bells?"

Naruto's grin flashed wickedly across his scarred cheeks as he snickered, "Y'know, when I found you guys it _almost_ looked like you two were—"

"Naruto, if you finish that statement I'm gonna punch you into next week!" she threatened heatedly. Her cheeks were probably as red as her shirt and all she could hope was that he confused it for anger rather than embarrassment.

To his credit, the blond very smartly kept his mouth shut.

Huffing irritably, Sakura surveyed the forest around them with narrowed, contemplative eyes. "So, where do you think he went?"

Naruto's face scrunched up and his nose twitched. He pointed east. "That way," he replied confidently.

She arched a brow and folded her arms across her chest. "And just _how_ do you know that?"

"Well, he's got your scent on him, and I can smell _you_ goin' off that way. And he knows I've got a pretty good sense of smell, so he's headin' for the river to get it off of him."

While it was more than a little disturbing that he was able to _smell her_ on someone else, she had to admit she was impressed with his reasoning. "So, our best bet then would be to hit him at the river."

"Probably. But he's also probably expectin' that."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully as she tapped a finger against her lower lip. Naruto was right; Kakashi was anticipating for them to give chase. Why else would someone of his caliber deliberately leave a scent trail for them to follow? More than likely, he was already waiting in ambush for them. Ideally, the best way to avoid an ambush was to not walk into one … or use it against the enemy.

A slow, wicked smile curved Sakura's lips as she said, "Hey, I think I have a plan."

* * *

After taking a moment to thoroughly ream himself out for thinking with his cock (something that he had never done before, no matter the distraction), Kakashi killed two birds with one stone by taking a walk in the freezing river. Not only did it wipe Sakura's scent from his clothing, but it also knocked the hard-on right out of him. Standing waist deep in bitingly cold water was uncomfortable as hell, but it'd worked. Fortunately for him, the standard-issue gear was designed to dry quickly so at least he didn't have to spend the rest of the day half-wet.

It hadn't been much fun laying traps all over the place in cold, sopping pants, but at least he couldn't smell Sakura on him anymore.

He'd heard of battle lust before, but that was ridiculous! Whether it was simply the close-quarters or actually witnessing her in action, he didn't know. But one thing was certain; Sakura was not just another medic-nin. She was a full blown kunoichi … and the sight of her punching several feet of rock like it was nothing was arousing as hell.

Kakashi thought back on the night he was mugged and shook his head, a smile twitching beneath his mask. To think he'd accused her of setting off an exploding tag inside village limits. And all she'd used was her fist and flawless chakra control … Tsunade had certainly done her job well.

But that moment beneath the trees, when he'd had her pinned and she'd glared up at him with such defiance … he would be remembering that for a long time, and not because of the sharingan. He'd wanted her in a very bad way — and he knew that she'd wanted him as well. The fact that the discovery had been made during a professional setting, however, wasn't good at all.

This was the problem with teammates having personal relationships. It changed the team dynamics, made people prioritize in a potentially harmful way. The team always came first. No exceptions. There were more than just their lives at stake — lives that depended on them not to act irrationally. Kakashi sighed quietly and let his head fall back against the trunk. Genma was right; they needed to talk. And the sooner, the better.

The sharp crack of a twig snapping jerked him out of his thoughts and back into the moment, his body tensing instinctively. They wouldn't really be so clumsy … would they? If that was one of his former students stepping on a tree branch, he was going to give them hell like they'd never seen before. He _damn_ well taught them better than that!

Another twig cracked, followed by another and then a dull rumbling sound reached his ears. Kakashi's brow furrowed as he felt a tremor vibrate up the tree trunk. What in the world…?

Carefully balancing one hand on the branch, he reached with the other for the shuriken holster on his thigh. Years of experience allowed him to keep his breathing steady, his heart rate down and his body perfectly still as the sounds of snapping branches and rustling underbrush came closer. Just a bit further and … there! Kakashi let the shuriken fly, and it was only by the grace of his lightning fast reflexes that he was able to redirect the deadly stars at the last possible moment.

Animals were scurrying frantically through the forest: squirrels, rabbits, birds, snakes. All of them were rushing for the river, as if being chased by some enormous predator. The tremors were growing in intensity until the leaves around him began to shake and rattle with the force. Kakashi actually had to channel a little more chakra to his feet to compensate for the sudden, erratic movements shivering through his tree.

Something big was heading this way, and the sound of its arrival was almost like thunder. Acorns plopped heavily from the trees, colored leaves swirled and looped as they were shaken from the branches, and pine needles rained down like miniature senbon. Any minute now, and whatever it was his former students had cooked up would be upon him. Kakashi raised his hands in preparation for a counter-jutsu.

It wasn't until countless orange-clad figures came exploding through the trees that he realized what all the commotion was about; hundreds of Naruto clones were swarming the forest, rushing en masse through the obstacles and traps to trigger them and give their creator a clear path. Kakashi had a moment to appreciate the cleverness of the plan before he was on the ground and flinging shuriken as fast as he ever had at the approaching clone army. Soft pops and bursts of smoke erupted around him as he made a dash for the river.

Most ninja tried to avoid putting their back to water for the simple fact that it made escaping a bit trickier. Fortunately, escape wasn't what he had in mind. Kakashi channeled chakra to his feet and used the extra burst of energy to leap over the river entirely. He landed on the opposite shore, his feet sinking into the crumbling dirt, and waited until he heard the splashing of cloned feet on water before spinning around with his hands already half way through the needed seals.

There was a moment where fifty sets of blue eyes widened in surprise and a similar number of feet went skidding across the river's surface as the clones tried to back pedal … but it was too late. Lightning crackled and flared around Kakashi's hand and, without a second's hesitation, he plunged it quickly into the water and watched the blue streaks race across the super-conductive element. A chorus of howls and yelps nearly drowned out the crisp, snapping sound of electricity meeting solid objects. Smoke billowed thickly in the air, both from the evaporating water as well as the dissipating clones, and a sudden kick to the breeze sent it spiraling away down the river.

Not a clone was in sight, but on the opposite side of the bank was one lone figure gasping for an even breath and looking at him in amazement.

He was about to remind Naruto that a ninja had to _always_ be mindful of their surroundings when the sharingan detected movement to his left. A giant shuriken came ripping out of the bushes in his direction and in the wake of it came a second Naruto. Kakashi dropped to his knees and bent backward just as the weapon whistled over his head, and the breeze of its passing was forceful enough to ruffle his hair. Were the shuriken to have it its target, it would have been a death blow. It was good to see Naruto wasn't taking this lightly.

Kakashi had only _just_ started the seals for an answering ninjutsu when the Naruto on the other bank drew back his fist and sent it flying into the ground. His eyes widened in shock as a split began to tear through the river bed, opening up in a chasm that swallowed earth, water and fish like a hungry mouth. The chakra radiating from the implosion told him it wasn't really Naruto across the way, not unless he'd suddenly developed incredibly accurate chakra control. That was Sakura hiding under a Henge no Jutsu and staying back with the clones so as to draw attention from Naruto's attack. It was a classic pincher technique, one that wouldn't have worked without solid teamwork and perfect timing.

As he allowed himself to fall into the scored earth, a surge of pride swept through him. Teamwork was something he'd taught them. It didn't matter how powerful a ninja was if they couldn't work as a unit. For all their growth and time apart, he was amazed they still maintained that unity.

They still had a long way to go if they wanted to get the drop on him though.

Working quickly, Kakashi pulled the summoning scroll from his vest, nicked his thumb on a kunai and let gravity help do the rest. The blood smeared paper snapped crisply in the wake of his descent and he didn't stick around to watch the ninken go tearing up the side of the chasm. His hands formed the seals for a teleportation jutsu mere seconds before he would have hit the ground. The sound of two people shouting in surprise was dim in his ears as the disorienting sensation of the jutsu swept him away.

* * *

"You know, Tsunade, I think your plan might have backfired."

Tsunade paused in bringing the sake bowl to her lips to arch a pale brow in Jiraiya's direction. "Oh?" she questioned as the man sitting across the desk from her sipped his drink carefully.

Jiraiya nodded, staring into the clear liquid pensively as he tapped a finger against his thigh. "Have you really been so busy as to not notice that your apprentice is in love?" he murmured back, his lips quirking at the corners a little.

She stiffened and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "My, my. You seem to have forgotten that I'm the Hokage. My whole _life _is nothing but busy right now."

"You still need to take time for the important things."

"This from the man who lazes his days away at a peephole, watching women young enough to be his granddaughters bathe."

"Nice patch job on that hole, by the way. I can't even tell it'd been there."

"Thank you," Tsunade replied smugly as she took a sip of sake. "I have a wonderfully talented wood user at my disposal." Tenzou had been absolutely mortified when she'd asked him to reinforce the women's bathhouse. She'd never quite seen a shade of pink like the one that had stained his face the entire time he'd worked.

Jiraiya let out a short bark of laughter and said, "A wood user, eh? Does she handle the morning variety at all? Ow!"

Tsunade glared at him as he rubbed the red spot on his forehead, the one caused by having a paper clip snapped at him with incredible force. "Another comment like that in _my_ presence, pervert, and body parts will come off!" She shot a pointed glance at his crotch, letting him know _exactly_ which body parts she'd be starting with.

Clearing his throat uneasily, Jiraiya very casually crossed one leg over the other as if to protect himself. "So, back to your apprentice and my number one fan; I think they've fallen for each other."

She nodded slowly, finished off her sake and poured some more. He held his bowl out and she obligingly refilled it as well. "Sakura doesn't surprise me. The girl loves to be in love. First Sasuke, then medicine … but what makes you so certain Kakashi's on the list? Or, for that matter, that he's fallen for her?"

Jiraiya shrugged and gave his sake a gentle swirl. "Writer's intuition?" he suggested dryly, grinning when Tsunade rolled her eyes. "The next time you get a moment, talk to them. Not together, obviously, but just pay attention to the way they react. With her, it's a good deal more noticeable, but with him the change is subtle. You'll see what I'm talking about."

"Why exactly are you bringing this up again?" Tsunade asked, leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "Is this your way of saying you want to cancel the bet?"

"And miss out on the chance to score an all access pass to the women's bath? Absolutely not! It was merely an observation I'd made and I was curious how you felt about it. You're notoriously overprotective of Sakura."

Tsunade lifted her head to give him a very sour glower.

"Well, you are," he grumbled as he shrank a little lower in his seat.

"Listen, just because I keep her away from your groping hands and lascivious gaze doesn't mean I'm overprotective!"

"Didn't you send an ANBU squad to follow her on her first solo mission?"

Her eyes widened and she leaned forward in her chair. "Who told you that?" she demanded, her tone icy with menace.

Rather than cower at her obvious ire, Jiraiya's dark eyes met hers and said, "The ANBU clerk who'll turn up dead tomorrow. Poor fellow somehow managed to ingest frog toxins. I can't imagine how that could have happened."

Tsunade snorted and flopped back into her chair again. She closed her eyes and released a long, low breath as her fingers cupped the cool porcelain sake bowl carefully. "You need to run these things by me before you do them, Jiraiya. If all the spies in Konoha were to suddenly disappear, it'll tip our enemies off."

"I understand that. But this one was bold enough to tamper with your sake."

Her eyes snapped open to meet his as a chill went down her spine. "What?"

Jiraiya's face was grim and anger burned hotly in his eyes. "This one was a bit personal," he admitted, and there wasn't a drop of the warmth she was used to hearing in his voice. "And I haven't determined yet whether this was an internal attempt or external."

"Are you suggesting someone _inside_ the ranks tried to poison me?"

It was his turn to arch a brow. "Are you saying the thought hadn't crossed your mind?"

It had, and she had a good idea of who would be responsible for it. Danzou wasn't foolish enough to ever directly order anyone to poison the Hokage, but he damn well could insinuate that it'd be for the better good. If it was a former ROOT operative, whatever he so much as hinted at would be taken as an order, and if the person were caught later Danzou could say with all honesty he had nothing to do with it.

Tsunade sighed again and scrubbed a hand down her face. "And you wonder why I've not noticed my apprentice has gone and given her heart away?" she mumbled.

Jiraiya stood up and she didn't protest when he swiveled her chair around to face him. "I already alerted Shizune," he reassured her as he knelt by her side. Tsunade's heart skipped a beat as he placed a large hand on her shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. "She's got a good head on her and is already preparing to check everything that crosses your desk. And I'll talk to Kakashi tomorrow, have him recommend some names of people we can trust to guard you. Don't worry. You protect the village, and the village protects you."

She smiled bitterly. "Of course," she replied softly, reaching up to cover his hand with hers. There was a brief moment where their hands lingered and their gazes remained fixed, but it was broken when Tsunade cleared her throat and turned back toward her sake. "Now, let's finish this bottle off. With Shizune on the job, it'll be a cold day in hell before I see another drop of this stuff."

He chuckled pleasantly and reclaimed his seat. Their sake bowls clicked as they brought them together in a toast before tipping them back simultaneously. Jiraiya held his out for a refill and she complied before topping off her own.

"So, how do you think it's going?" he mused as he glanced at the window behind her. Outside, the sky was nothing but darkness. Heavy clouds were rolling in once again, blotting out the stars completely. With the way the lights from the village twinkled below, it almost looked like heaven and earth had switched places for the evening.

Tsunade laughed softly and said, "Knowing those two, they're probably making Kakashi feel his age."

"Well, here's to growing old gracefully." The clinking of porcelain rang sharply through the dimly lit office as they drank to that toast.

* * *

Naruto collapsed on the ground and slouched back against the tree next to Sakura. His legs felt like rubber, he couldn't catch an even breath and he was so worn out that sleeping on the cold forest floor seemed like a really good idea. Around them, the forest was filled with the quiet thrum of nightlife: owls calling softly, bugs chirping, unknown things rustling through the leaves. Every time he exhaled, his breath clouded in the cool air.

"Y-Y'know, it's kinda nippy out," he began as casually as possible. "Maybe we should snuggle up and—"

"Naruto, if I wasn't so tired right now, I'd hit you," Sakura snapped and, despite claiming to be exhausted, she managed to crack off an intimidating glare.

Swallowing hard, he held up a placating hand and laughed off the comment. "Yeah, yeah. I got it." He sure didn't want her hitting him, not after what he'd seen her do to the training grounds all day.

Sakura sighed wearily and stretched her legs out in front of her. A slight grimace twisted her lips before her palms began to glow softly. Naruto watched as she ran her hands down her legs and felt his mouth go dry when she moaned in bliss. "Oh, that feels so good!"

"Does it?" he wheezed while carefully thinking about all kinds of unpleasant things to keep his mind off of Sakura: Kiba kissing Lee. Shino with his bugs. Kiba kissing Lee while Shino's bugs crawl over them. Wait … _passionately_ kissing with the bugs crawling _inside their mouths_.

Nasty!

"Okay, so what are we going to do?" she asked, completely unaware of her teammate's predicament. "We've only got a few hours left to get those bells, and Kakashi is being … well, Kakashi."

Naruto's brow scrunched as he shot her a confused look. "Kakashi? Since when're you two on first name basis?"

A heavy blush colored her cheeks as she quickly looked away. "About that," she mumbled, her fingers curling nervously in the hem of her skirt. "Naruto, there's something I think you need to know. It's about—"

The bushes across from them gave a sudden rattle and Naruto reacted on instinct by flinging a kunai at the source. A startled squeak cut through the darkness, and immediately all the other night sounds in their location fell quiet.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura hissed as he charged over toward the bush.

He didn't answer her as he shoved the plant aside roughly … and saw a squirrel cowering about two inches away from his kunai. Oops. Naruto reclaimed his weapon and as soon as it was gone, the squirrel skittered up the tree. Angry growls and chittering noises followed after him, as well as a few acorns, as he wandered back over to Sakura and dropped down into his vacated spot.

She was staring at him with one brow arched and a smirk teasing at her lips. He shrugged and returned the kunai to its sheath. "At least it wasn't a rabbit this time," he joked, grinning as she snickered. "Anyway, what're we gonna do about getting those bells?"

Sakura's smile wilted around the edges and the humor began to fade from her eyes. "I don't know," she replied, an edge of a groan creeping into her voice. "I mean, he's just … he's amazing. I've never seen anything like it before. And it's not just the sharingan either. His seal-making speed is too fast for me to follow."

Naruto nodded in agreement and rotated his neck to ease a bit of the ache. Maybe after this was done he could talk Sakura into giving him a massage or something. Jiraiya-sama was always talking about how good medical massages were. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei's _insanely_ strong. He's smarter than Shikamaru. His nose makes Kiba's look second rate. He uses the sharingan better than Sasuke. And he's got better taijutsu skills than Thick-brows."

"His name is Lee," Sakura interrupted sharply. "I wish you'd stop calling him that."

"Aw, c'mon! I'm only kidding! Besides, it's not like he's here an' I'm sayin' it to his face," he replied, giving her side a friendly nudge.

"Yeah, but still … it's not nice," she muttered, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. "And he's a really great friend."

"Ooo … I think somebody has a crush on Caterpillar Brow!" Naruto snickered at his own joke, which quickly turned into a pained yelp as she clocked him good on top of the head. "Ow … Sakura-chan!"

"I told you to can it, didn't I?" she snarled. "I do _not_ have a crush on Lee. He's just a really nice guy who I happen to be friends with, and I won't tolerate you making fun of him. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he groaned. To say anything other than that would mean getting hit again, and he _really_ didn't want that to happen! Geeze … women really _were_ fickle creatures, just like that pervy sage said. One minute, they were having a nice conversation, and the next she was beating the crap out of him.

Letting out an irritated humph, Sakura folded her arms across her chest and said, "We need to stop him from using both hands. That's the _only_ way we can get those bells."

"Yeah, but how?" he groaned as he tugged the hitae-ate off and rubbed his hands roughly through his hair in frustration. "He's not gonna just sit still an' let us tie him up or anything! Well … maybe _you_, but definitely not me."

He cringed when Sakura brought her hand back threateningly. "I'm warning you, if I have to waste the last bit of my chakra on an idiot like you, I'm never gonna speak to you again," she warned angrily.

"Okay, okay! I'm done!" Naruto's shoulders slouched as she lowered her hand and he waited until she was busy fussing with her skirt to shake his head. Girls were crazy! Was there some kinda weird cosmic rule that said they had to beat up the guys who liked them? That was just messed up!

"Now then," she continued, going straight back into business mode once again. "Kakashi-sensei is phenomenal, but he's gotta have a weakness. Everyone does. If we think about it, we'll figure it out."

She had a good point. If they could just figure out Kakashi-sensei's weakness, then they'd get those bells no problem. It was just … what the hell was it? The sharingan allowed him to see _everything_, even potential movement. Getting him to stay still long enough to bind his hands really wasn't an option. He knew all their weaknesses already and used those against them. Naruto shuddered as he remembered that awful genjutsu Kakashi-sensei had whipped out on him earlier, the one where he'd seen Sakura stabbed to pieces by kunai and shuriken. It'd been so horrifying that he'd puked all over the forest floor.

And then the bastard had gone and knocked him out right into it. He could _still_ smell vomit on his jacket, despite Sakura's earlier assurances that the river had done a good job of taking it out.

Okay, so none of the conventional methods were going to work against Copy Ninja Kakashi. That left them with … what? Despite his earlier teasing, he doubted having Sakura try to maybe seduce their former teacher would really work. The guy was asexual or something. He had to be, seeing as Naruto couldn't recall ever seeing him with anyone. Or maybe he was just really good at hiding it? Or _maybe_ he was one of those guys who only liked the women in those dirty magazines and books? It made sense, what with the way he loved _Icha Icha_…

_Icha Icha._

A splutter of laughter burst from his lips, one he quickly tried to suppress with his hand. "Sakura-chan, I think I've got it," he sniggered, grinning widely as she flashed him a surprised look.

"What, Kakashi-sensei's weakness?"

He nodded. "If you think about his habits, you'll get it."

Her green eyes flared angrily and she jammed her elbow into his ribs hard enough to rock him. "Stop being a know-it-all and just tell me!"

"Well," he drawled, still chuckling despite the fact his ribs were stinging from her elbow. "It's _Icha Icha._"

Sakura's brow pinched as she leaned away from him. "Are you saying we need to take his books and hold them hostage? Because I can tell you now, getting our hands on his books isn't going to be easy."

Naruto shook his head and bit his lower lip as more laughter tried to break free. "No, no! It's much easier than that. Remember earlier when you asked him if he'd finished the book an' he said he was gonna save it for later? That means he doesn't know how it's gonna end yet. And you _know_ how much he loves those books. So, if we both come at him an' I start talkin' about the ending…"

"He's going to cover his ears because he doesn't want to hear it," Sakura finished, her voice soft and breathy with awe. "Naruto … that's brilliant! It's so simple! You really are something, you know that?"

Yes! Recognition from Sakura! His heart sped up and a light feeling moved through his chest at her excited words. Even if they failed to get the bells, her words were enough for him.

"So, if we do it like that, we have the advantage an' can win," he concluded proudly.

"It's perfect! Now, all we need to do is find him. Think you can do that?"

"Hehe … you bet I can! Let's go!"

They took to the trees then, Naruto in the lead and Sakura following close behind. There were only a few hours left until sunrise, so they had to act quickly. Kakashi-sensei was in for the surprise of his life as soon as they found him!

* * *

The sky was just beginning to turn that muddy grey color of dawn when they finally made their move. Kakashi had been anticipating it for the last three hours, but now that they were in action … he was severely disappointed.

All that wonderful growth and potential they'd shown during the whole exercise, and what did they decide to do? Come at him in a full frontal assault. No clones. No incredibly powerful punches. Just them dropping out of the trees like a couple of ego-inflated genin. He waited for one of them to go, 'haha! Just kidding, Kakashi-sensei' but the determined looks on their faces told him it would be a lesson in futility.

They really couldn't be serious about this.

Letting out a disillusioned sigh, Kakashi decided it was time to bury them completely. If this was all they had, he'd make damn certain they didn't receive anything higher than a B-ranked mission for a very, very long time. He brought his hands together for the first seal.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi paused, glancing up in surprise at Naruto's voice. His eyes narrowed at the decidedly wicked gleam in the younger man's eyes.

"Wanna know how Icha Icha Tactics ends? See, what happens is this…"

A horribly cold feeling sank heavily in Kakashi's gut. He wouldn't dare! After waiting so long for the next installment, Naruto wouldn't seriously—

"During the last chapter, the hero—"

Shit, he would! He was going to spoil the entire book! Jiraiya always threw one final plot twist in at the end, and Naruto was going to ruin it! All thoughts of the test flew out of his head as he quickly clamped his hands over his ears and closed the sharingan. He didn't want to risk it memorizing Naruto's lip movements. Not for anything would he allow his one vice to be ruined. Damn it, what the hell was Naruto doing? He and Sakura should be attacking him, not screwing up his book!

Kakashi's eyes snapped open when someone gave a hard tug on his belt … and removed the bells. Realization crashed down on him like a drunken elephant plummeting off a cliff as two bells were dangled in front of his face by his beaming teammates. For a moment, he was so shocked that he forgot to take a breath and the resulting dizziness made him blink as he slowly lowered his hands from his ear. The first thing he heard was Sakura's delighted giggle — and the light tinkle of silver bells being jangled a few inches from his face.

"A ninja should look underneath the underneath," Naruto mocked as he fisted his bell. "Isn't that what you always used to say, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Aw, leave him alone, Naruto," Sakura laughed. "Forgetting things is common in the elderly." The two of them laughed at the joke before turning and walking back through the forest toward the village.

Kakashi's shoulders slouched as he leveled a doleful glare after the retreating pair. "Yes, let's just hope the enemy has a passion for reading as well, hm?" he remarked dryly, jamming his hands in his pockets as he followed after them. If word of this got out, he would never live it down. Genma, Asuma … even Gai would give him hell over being taken down by erotica.

"Hey, are ya comin', old man, or are we gonna have to carry you back?" Naruto called back.

"Naruto, it'd be a shame if you suddenly found yourself barred from Ichiraku Ramen, wouldn't it?" he asked casually, smirking as the blond gasped indignantly at the very idea.

"Y-You wouldn't really … would you, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked hoarsely.

"I think that's Kakashi-sensei's way of saying you better stop," Sakura interjected as she turned to flash a brilliant smile over her shoulder. For a moment, the humor faded from her eyes and was replaced with a gentle, affectionate look that made his breath catch. Their gazes lingered for a few seconds before she quickly turned away with pink-tinted cheeks.

Kakashi released a quiet sigh and pulled his downfall out from the pouch at his back. He flipped open to where he'd left off in _Icha Icha Tactics_, but he wasn't really interested in reading it. Not when he had a perfect view of Sakura's swaying skirt. If he hadn't spent the last twenty-four hours using his chakra supply, he might have been tempted to activate the sharingan. It was a _very_ nice view, after all.

The entire walk back to the village was punctuated by the excited chatter of his two younger teammates. Thankfully, they didn't dwell entirely over their victory, but rather what they'd been up to for the last two and a half years. Kakashi pretended not to listen to them talk, but in reality he was curious. While the bell test had shown how they'd both grown physically, the stories they swapped showed how they'd grown as people.

Well … maybe. He'd winced when Sakura gave Naruto an almighty smack (chakra free, fortunately, but still painful) for telling her about the stealth jutsu his mentor had tried to teach him at the women's bathhouse. When was he going to learn _not_ to say those sorts of things in front of Sakura? Then again, part of him was sort of glad Naruto was digging his own grave. The boy _did_ have a thing for her, a thing Kakashi would rather not actively encourage for personal reasons.

It was as they passed through the gates and onto the busy main street that Naruto asked the one question Sakura obviously had been dreading: "So, Sakura-chan, any boyfriends yet? Any _ex-_boyfriends whose asses need some kickin'?"

Kakashi didn't need to see her face to know she was beet red; the color was present on the back of her neck. "O-Oh, well, um…," she stammered uncertainly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear in a very familiar gesture of unease. For a quick second, she glanced over her shoulder at him, and in that short exchange of looks he saw indecision written all over her. She didn't want Naruto to know about them, at least not yet.

Disappointment sank heavily in his stomach at that realization, and it took quite a lot of effort to keep it from showing externally.

Clearing his throat, Kakashi changed the subject for her by saying, "So, I'm actually rather impressed you two were able to get the bells this time. Even though that was a below the belt trick you pulled." The grateful smile Sakura shot him made the disappointment twist like a kunai in his gut.

Naruto snickered mischievously and flashed a grin over his shoulder. "Wasn't it one of your rules to fight dirty?" he asked, a note of slyness in his words.

Kakashi shrugged indifferently and replied, "Maybe. Regardless, it was a good move." If by good move one actually meant 'embarrassing as all hell'. To be taken down by his own book was humiliating. It was also something Naruto and Sakura unwittingly had in common.

The blond's grin widened further as he folded his hands behind his head. With that expression and the way his elbows stuck out from either side of his head, it made him almost look like the thirteen-year-old genin he'd taught. The boyish exuberance was marred, however, by the fact that Naruto had gotten _much_ taller over the years.

"Could be I've gotten better than even you, huh, Kakashi-sensei?"

Okay, _that_ was taking it a bit far. Kakashi was about to put Naruto back in his place when Sakura jumped in by scoffing, "Oh, what arrogance! Do I need to smack some of that hot air from your head?"

Naruto was quick to put some distance between them and his wary gaze was fixated on Sakura's hands. "Hey, hey! All I'm sayin' is that I learned some pretty awesome jutsus from that pervy sage, ones even Kakashi-sensei _might_ have trouble handling."

"Wow, really?" Sakura asked, giving her companion an awed look.

"Actually, speaking of jutsus," Kakashi interrupted, keeping his voice subtly casual. He normally wasn't the boastful sort, but seeing Sakura react like that triggered that urge out of dormancy. "I developed a new one that's rather brilliant and—"

A loud, growling sound cut him off and Naruto pressed a hand quickly to his stomach. Letting out a sheepish laugh, he scrubbed a hand through his hair and said, "Sorry about that, but it's been a whole day since I got a chance to eat. Jiraiya-sama an' I were supposed to go to Ichiraku Ramen yesterday, but then we ended up doing that bell test instead, so…"

"I'm actually kind of hungry, too," Sakura admitted.

Kakashi's shoulder slumped in defeat. He just couldn't cut a break today, it seemed. First, there was the embarrassing way he'd lost the bell test. Then, there was the continued battering of his ego. And now he was being upstaged by a rumbling stomach? When would the indignities end?

He came out of his dejected thoughts when Sakura turned to him with that bright, addictive smile of hers and asked, "Are you coming with us, Kakashi-sensei?"

A quick flinch creased the corners of his eyes at the use of his proper title. He didn't know why he was so surprised she would start calling him sensei again. It was appropriate for his position, after all. Maybe it was just that he'd gotten used to being just Kakashi to her that it sounded strange to hear.

Or maybe he didn't _want_ to be Kakashi-sensei to her. Maybe he wanted to remain simply Kakashi.

Regardless of his feelings on the matter, it was obvious she was trying to establish a professional front before their teammate. Whether or not her sudden remembrance for decorum had to do with her wanting to keep their relationship a secret from Naruto, he didn't know. But he didn't like the idea of her being embarrassed to be associated with him in a more familiar sense.

"It can be your treat," Naruto added gleefully.

Oh, _hell_ no! There was no way he was getting stuck with a bill from Ichiraku Ramen for the bottomless pit that was Uzumaki Naruto's stomach.

Assuming an appropriately contrite expression, Kakashi laughed softly and said, "Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass for today. I have to create and submit a list of the new teams." It was true he had to get those lists in (actually, they were due two days ago, but who was counting?) but that wasn't what he intended to do today. He had a fabulous new book all but begging to be read on a nice, warm bakery rooftop. Besides, he wasn't really in the mood to spend an afternoon hearing Sakura call him 'sensei'.

He was just about to teleport out of there when Sakura exclaimed, "Wait, sensei!"

Kakashi paused, one brow arching in question as a light pink color blushed across her cheeks. She shifted uncomfortably as Naruto gave her a bewildered look and mumbled, "I, um … I need to talk to you. Please. And alone."

Ah. Letting out a long, controlled breath, he nodded and said, "Alright. Naruto, wait right here a moment."

"Yeah, okay," he said, his eyes flickering between them curiously.

Kakashi waited until the boy's back was turned before nodding for Sakura to follow him down a narrow side street that was empty save for a few stray cats. The smell of garbage was strong, the concrete was slick with filth and judging by the soft 'ew' that came from behind him, she was just as aware of it as he was. It wasn't a romantic setting in the least, but he didn't particularly care about that. He doubted this was going to be a very pleasant talk.

Once they were far enough down the side street where they wouldn't be head, Kakashi tucked his hands in his pockets and waited for her to speak. Sakura couldn't quite raise her eyes passed his collar bone as her fingers twisted together nervously. "I … I think we need to talk," she began hesitantly.

"… That _is_ why we're here, isn't it?" he drawled noncommittally.

She shook her head and said, "No. I mean we need to _talk_. About us."

For a moment, he forgot to breathe as her softly spoken words slammed into him with hurricane force. "Ah. I see."

"But not here," Sakura continued quickly. "Somewhere a bit more…"

"Clean?" he suggested drolly.

"Private," she corrected with a small smile. "Although, clean would be preferable, too."

Kakashi took a deep breath and released it slowly. She wanted to talk. In private. He knew she was still after his books, so she couldn't be gearing up to dump him. It seemed foolish to ask for secrecy now when people already knew about them. How long did she think it would take before Naruto heard it from someone else?

Finally, after a moment of silence where she stared at him worriedly, he said softly, "Okay. I don't have any plans tonight, so if you wanted to—"

"Tonight we're supposed to have dinner with Genma and Shizune-san, remember?" she said, one brow arching in disbelief that he'd forgotten.

He closed his eyes and let his head fall forward with a groan. That's right. Today was Saturday and they'd already made plans. Damn it…

Sakura took a step closer to him, the corners of her lips turning up in a tentative smile. "What about after dinner? You could come over to my place and we can have some tea and talk a bit."

Kakashi shifted his weight to one foot as he tried not to think about the last time he had tea in her apartment. "Won't Ino be there?" he inquired.

Her nose wrinkled at the mention of her roommate before she shrugged and said, "It's Saturday. She's probably got plans already, and if she doesn't I'll just tell her to clear out for a bit."

Damn. He'd half hoped Ino would be there, just for an extra layer of control. Still though, he supposed it was best that one of Konoha's biggest gossips wasn't around to witness them discussing their relationship. Letting out a breath that bordered on a reluctant sigh, Kakashi nodded slowly. "Okay. After dinner is fine."

The smell of her shampoo wafted toward him as she moved closer to him. Kakashi hardly dared to breathe when she stretched up on tiptoe, her front pressed to his, and brushed a kiss across his masked lips. His body reacted on impulse to the feel of her, one hand sliding around the small of her back to pull her more firmly against him while his mouth angled to better meet hers. Someone moaned softly, and it took him a moment to realize it was her.

It was over far too quickly. Sakura drew back from him and he moved as if to chase after her lips. She smiled and a soft, delighted giggle broke from her as she pushed away completely. "Naruto's waiting," she said as she slowly began backing her way down the side street. "I don't think he'd appreciate me keeping him from ramen just to kiss you."

"Well, his priorities have always been a little skewed when it comes to food," he quipped weakly. Mentally, he wanted nothing more than to drag her back and kiss a few more of those moans from her mouth.

Sakura's smile widened and her laughter was light and a little shy as she toyed with a strand of hair. "I'll see you later tonight, okay?" she called back before exiting the alley and heading back toward their waiting teammate.

Kakashi waited until she was out of sight before letting his head thunk hard against the building behind him. This was what he'd wanted, what Genma had so correctly said they needed to do. It was absolutely imperative that they sort everything out between them if either of them expected more from this relationship. And yet, knowing what had to be done still couldn't quite keep that heavy, sickening feeling from his gut. He didn't do emotionally open very well and could honestly admit that the idea of doing so with Sakura was a bit scary. But if it meant hanging on to her … he'd do it.

It just wasn't going to be pretty or come out easily, that was all.

Sighing again, Kakashi pushed away from the wall and took to the rooftops to try and find a place to read for the rest of the afternoon. Try being the operative word.


	24. I Want You

"Sakura, can I borrow a couple of your sparkly hair clips?" Ino called. Judging by her voice, she was already in her friend's bedroom looking for said items.

"Yeah, that's fine," Sakura replied from the bathroom as she finished applying cherry flavored gloss to her lips. "Hey, Ino? How late are you planning to stay out tonight?"

"Mm … I don't know. Not super late or anything since Asuma-sensei has us scheduled to leave early tomorrow morning. Why?" The blonde came into the bathroom and stood on tiptoe to see the mirror over Sakura's shoulder.

She hesitated before saying, "I was going to have Kakashi come over for a bit."

As expected, Ino paused in clipping back her hair to give her roommate a knowing grin. "Oh, what's this?" she teased. "Do I need to knock before coming in?"

"No," Sakura grumbled irritably as she purposely repositioned herself to block Ino's view. The indignant gasp from behind made her smirk. "We're just going to talk, that's all."

Ino sucked in a sharp breath and shifted so that she could meet Sakura's gaze through the mirror. "Are you gonna tell him?" she asked cautiously. All traces of her earlier humor were gone and in its place was something close to worry for her friend.

Sakura gave a soft, reassuring smile to the blonde as she shook her head. "No, not yet. I still need to ask Tsunade about the mission." And before she went and potentially pissed off her mentor, she wanted make sure it wasn't for nothing. She needed to know where Kakashi stood on their relationship.

Blue eyes regarded her uncertainly for a moment longer before Ino nodded and said solemnly, "Okay. Will midnight be late enough?"

"That'll be perfect. Thanks, Pig."

"No problem, Forehead. Good luck." With a final, encouraging smile, the blonde headed out the door to join her teammates for dinner. It was a ritual Asuma-sensei had started with them back in their genin days; eat out somewhere nice before a mission, because it could be the last.

Sakura finished getting ready and sat on the couch to wait for Kakashi's arrival. It was only a little after six-thirty, which meant she had at least another forty-five minutes before he'd come knocking on the door. She had no illusions that they'd be on time for dinner; it went against nature for Hatake Kakashi to be on time for anything. So, she arranged a couple pillows behind her back, leaned across the coffee table, and picked up the book she was currently obsessed with.

Yes … she was now officially a fan of Jiraiya's work. As much as it pained her to admit, he was a literary genius. She was already almost half way through the collection of short stories Kakashi had loaned her, and every single one had left her breathless at how beautiful it was. Some were epically tragic, others so cleverly witty that she giggled out loud. There were terrifying stories that sent her scurrying under the covers at night, love stories that made her sigh.

Her favorite stories though were the ones he told about every day events. From trying to scratch a living in rice fields to the busy city life, Jiraiya described it all in such rich detail that she felt like she _knew_ the places and the people involved. She loved the story about the children playing during a rain storm in Ame, and the one about a homeless musician and his dancing daughter was absolutely elegant. But, if she had to pick one to read over and over again … it would be the one she was right in the middle of reading.

At first, she'd been a little skeptical about it. The story took place in a brothel and was about one of the women who worked there. She'd been afraid that Jiraiya was going to throw in the pornography he was so popular for – but he didn't. It was about a man, presumably him, watching his lover get ready for work. There was nothing sexual at all about it, and the way he described her actions was rather sensual and bittersweet. All the character had done was get dressed in a kimono, and it left her feeling like she'd read something much more intimate.

If that was what Jiraiya could with someone getting dressed, she wondered what it'd be like to read about someone getting _undressed _… Sakura's cheeks flared brightly and her mouth went a little dry.

She shook her head vehemently. No, she was _not_ going there. She'd rather die than be caught reading _Icha Icha_. Opening the book to where she'd left off, Sakura quickly found her place and began reading.

_Her movements are precise, well-practiced, and as expert as a kunoichi's. The weapons of her trade are softer, but just as deadly; she paints herself to attract the eye, displays herself as bait to lure men in. Even those who know the secret behind the illusion – myself included – are incapable of resisting her. She knows this, but as I watch her apply the trappings of her trade, I can tell she curses her beauty._

"_Come away with me."_

_The words leave my mouth without any forethought, as natural and reflexive as the steady pulse of my heart. Her hand pauses, vermillion-coated paintbrush inches from caressing the full curve of her lower lip. Eyes an indescribable shade of blue meet mine through the reflection of the mirror, and for a moment the mask slips, leaving her bare and exposed: hunger, fear, hope, despair … emotions clash and conflict in the space of a few seconds, but then the mask is in place again and she's laughing at me._

"_You know I can't do that," she chides gently, speaking as if she were a mother and I her errant son. "I have a contract with Fujiko-san."_

_My mask isn't as perfected as hers, so I turn away in order to hide the bitterness her response provokes. "The debt isn't yours to pay," I murmur, speaking the thoughts that had been in the back of my mind since she told me her story._

_Mariko closes her eyes as she grips the paintbrush tighter between her slim, elegant fingers. "It _is _mine," she replies, and there is a brittleness to her voice that I'd never heard before._

_And I, being foolish, didn't recognize the change for the warning that it was. "No, it's not," I insist, pushing myself up from the silken tangle of her sheets. "It's your husband's."_

"_And by the extension of marriage, it's mine. Please, no more of this. I have customers waiting."_

_Fury sears through my veins, not at her refusal but at the degenerate who sold his wife into whoredom to satisfy a gambling debt. I had seen the beast who dared call himself a man three nights prior to this visit. He was a disgusting little creature, nothing more than sweaty skin and small, shifty eyes that regarded me haughtily as I'd taken a place at the card table. Obviously, the misbegotten guttersnipe felt no remorse for his actions or that his wife suffered because of him._

_My fingers twist viciously into the sheets as I watch her coil and pin her hair intricately on top of her head. She is angry with me; I can tell by how her fingers tremble in their work, how she refuses to look at me. Just as swiftly as the fury assailed me, it fled at the realization I'd caused her pain._

_I fall back on the bed, cover my face with my hands. A sigh escapes me as I say in a voice so soft I doubt she'll hear it, "I'm sorry."_

_The scrape of a chair being pushed back reaches my ears, followed by the light tread of bare feet across the wooden floor. I feel the bed dip under her weight as she sits on the edge, and at the gentle touch of her hand on mine, I uncover my face. Mariko smiles at me, and though it's as tender and winsome as it ever was, there is a distinctly acrimonious tilt that taints it. She leans down over me, presses her lips to mine. I can taste the crimson staining my mouth; it's artificial, a compliment to her façade._

_My eyes are fixated on her mouth as she takes a breath and parts her lips to say –_

"Sakura, are you planning on opening the door any time soon?"

The book fell from her hands like it was burning hot as Sakura gasped and grabbed the arm of the sofa to keep from sliding off in shock. She quickly, albeit it ungracefully, got to her feet and hurried over to let Kakashi in.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly as she jerked the door open. "I was reading and I didn't hear you knock. What are you doing here anyway?"

Kakashi arched a brow and pushed the sleeve of his sweater back to glance at an imaginary watch. "You said six forty-five, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did, but I wasn't expecting you to actually show up on time." She wasn't sure what was more impressive, the fact that he showed up on time or that he was actually wearing color. The lightweight sweater fit _very_ nicely across his chest, and the pale blue shade brought out the softer grey tones in his eye. It looked a little weird with his mask still in place, but without it she knew he'd be stopping people at fifty paces with how good he looked.

She couldn't help feeling a bit smug that she was one of the few people allowed to see beneath the mask.

"Ah. Well, as I've told you before … some things are worth showing up on time for," he replied. The warmth in his eye made her blush and look away with a smile.

"I wasn't aware you were so fond of Genma-san. Are you sure you want me to go with you tonight? I don't want to be a third wheel," she joked, reaching out to smooth a nonexistent wrinkle from the front of his sweater. The heat of his skin seeped through the layers of clothing, causing her fingers to curl a little into the knit fabric as she caught her lower lip between her teeth.

He sighed dramatically and leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, affecting a resigned mien. "Unfortunately, it's a couple's dinner, so I kind of need you to get in," he deadpanned, causing her to giggle. "But once we're there, if you want to play sick and leave, Genma and I won't mind in the least."

"Mmm … I'll think about it," she replied, grinning as her hand slid up higher to curve around his neck.

"Of course, if you wanted to play sick _now_, I wouldn't mind." One of his hands slipped around her waist to pull her closer to him.

Her heart sped up and the pleasant warmth was beginning to throb between her legs again as Kakashi began to lean toward her for a kiss. "Wait," she whispered, stopping him short of brushing his mouth across hers. He remained still as she dragged his mask down just enough to bare his lips. "I don't think you want lip gloss all over your mask."

The corners of Kakashi's lips quirked in a little smile and for a moment it felt like her knees were about to melt from under her. "No, of course not," he murmured, his words fanning hotly across her lips and making a moan tangle in her throat. "Genma gets jealous so easily."

She laughed softly, but the sound was smothered against his mouth and very swiftly turned into a sigh when she felt the brush of his tongue along her lower lip – not trying to enter her mouth, just to taste the fruity gloss she was wearing. Sakura's fingers wound through the hair at the nape of his neck, preventing him from pulling away completely. Not that he seemed inclined to anyway; his hands gripped her hips so firmly she half thought he intended to keep hold of her all night long.

That didn't sound like a bad idea, actually.

As much as she wanted to just drag him inside and spend the evening alone with him, they couldn't do that. Genma and Shizune had gone through a lot of trouble for tonight's dinner and it'd be rude to skip out. Letting out a reluctant sigh, Sakura placed another soft kiss to his mouth and murmured, "We should get going."

"Should doesn't mean have to," he pointed out, even as he slowly released her hips.

Laughing again, Sakura backed into her apartment, leaving the door open for him to follow after her. She grabbed her purse from the chair and was just about to pick up the fallen book when he reached down to pluck it from the floor with a mildly annoyed frown to his lips.

Cringing as he very carefully smoothed out a slight bend in the corner of the page, Sakura said sheepishly, "Sorry. I was reading when you came up. You startled me and I accidentally dropped it."

"It's alright," Kakashi replied, though the way he kept running his fingers over the spine and pages made her think it really wasn't. She knew he was very particular on the condition of his belongings and imagined even the barest hint of damage was enough to make him sweat.

Sakura chewed her lower lip uneasily as he continued to examine it for a bit longer before sliding the battered paper bookmark she used from the back cover. "What page were you on?" he asked, thumbing through to the approximate location of where she'd been.

"Oh," she said, brushing flustered fingers through her hair. "Um … I don't remember. It was the one in the brothel, where she's getting ready for work and—"

"Ah, that one. It's my favorite."

A smile twitched at her lips as she took a half step closer to him. "Really?"

Kakashi nodded and continued flipping through pages, this time much more slowly as his eye scanned over the words. "You can tell Jiraiya really poured his heart into that story. What part were you at?"

"The one where Mariko's lover asked her to leave with him," she replied softly as a blush dusted across her cheeks. She was a little surprised that he liked the same story she did. Tragic romance didn't really seem like his thing. She supposed that was a testament to the power of excellent writing. Clearing her throat lightly, she ventured in a voice that was a bit steadier, "I really like the scene where he's describing her getting dressed. The way he talks about her putting on the kimono is just … it's just…"

"Breathtaking," he finished, glancing up from the pages to meet her gaze.

The heat flared brighter across Sakura's cheeks as she swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. The heavy, hot sensation was creeping back into her stomach, drawn out by the intensity of his gaze.

She gave a soft, nervous laugh and quickly looked away, embarrassed that he could make her feel like that with just a simple glance. "I guess that's why you almost had a nosebleed when you saw my yukata the other night," she joked lightly in an attempt to ease the mood.

"The blood was very firmly trapped inside my body, thank you," Kakashi remarked dryly. "Now, if you'd answered the door in the cute thong you were wearing underneath it—"

Sakura glared at him angrily and barely resisted testing the theory that his blood wasn't going anywhere. "I wish you'd quit staring at my ass all the time," she griped, practically ripping the book from his hands as he held it out to her. "And how do _you_ know it was cute?"

"First, you have no room whatsoever to complain about staring at people's asses, not when your eyes were glued to mine the entire walk out to the training field today," he returned quickly as he tugged his mask back in place. "Second, your underwear is _always_ cute, so I have no reason to assume otherwise."

She didn't need a mirror to know her cheeks were a burning red color, and even with the mask covering his mouth she could tell the smug bastard was probably smirking up a storm. If he wasn't such a good kisser, she'd deck the smile right off his face.

"So, have you ever been to one of these dinners?" she asked tartly, ignoring the amused sound he made as she stuck the book inside her purse. It was a good bet that at some point during the evening, Kakashi would break his own reading material out. Why shouldn't she do the same?

"Not that I can recall," he grunted noncommittally. He followed her out the door and stood just off to one side with his hands in his pockets as she locked up.

"Really?" Her heart skipped a joyful beat at this news. That meant he never taken one of his past girlfriends to a couple's only dinner. She was his first. A smile broke across her lips before she could bite it back.

"Really," Kakashi confirmed as she slipped a hand between his arm and side comfortably. She heard him inhale sharply as she rubbed her cheek against his bicep. The sweater actually wasn't soft at all, but she held on all the same.

Sakura settled against him and released a small, contented sigh. Being with Kakashi made her happy, and she could tell the feeling was mutual with him, too. It was evident in the way he was touching her, running his knuckles gently across her cardigan-covered shoulder, and how he kept sneaking glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. The warmth and closeness of his body made her heart flutter faster, her blood race hotly through her veins. Her eyes flickered to the alley they were passing by and a sudden urge to drag him into the shadows and kiss him swept over her.

Whatever happened later tonight with the talk, for now she could just enjoy him – the way he touched her, how she fit so nicely against his side, the smell of him beneath the clean scent of laundry detergent. Sakura sighed under her breath and let the contented feeling take over, temporarily allowing her to forget about their future conversation.

* * *

When they arrived at Genma's apartment, Kakashi very nearly decided to bypass it and take her to his instead. He didn't really feel like having dinner with other couples, and not just because he knew he would probably spend very little time actually talking to Sakura. The main reason was because he could hardly keep his eye off her the entire walk over. He doubted that once they walked through the door this problem would be magically rectified, so chances were good someone would take notice – someone like Genma, who then wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

He couldn't help it, really, not when she was wearing a dress that pushed the same buttons as her yukata did. It was some kind of lime shade that complimented her hair and eyes nicely. There was hardly any cleavage to be seen and the hem hit just above her knee. She wore less fabric on a day-to-day basis, but the image of propriety she projected made him want to sully her up a bit. There had been more than a few occasions during their walk where he'd come damn close to dragging her into an alleyway to do just that. Now that they were here and standing outside the door … he regretted his inaction.

Maybe he could still talk her out of it? No one knew they were there yet, and he was pretty good at faking illness. Perhaps, with the right words, he could coerce her into… But any ideas of copping out on dinner died when he glanced over and saw the excited sparkle in her eyes. Sakura was really looking forward to tonight.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Kakashi raised his hand to the door.

"Oh!"

He paused at Sakura's soft exclamation and arched an inquiring brow. Perhaps she'd changed her mind…

Sakura's lips twisted ruefully as she shook her head. "We should have brought something with us."

Okay… Not what he'd been expecting. "Like what?" he asked.

"Something," she replied with a shrug. "Wine, flowers, a dessert… It's rude to go over to someone's home without bringing them something.

"It is?" This was news to him.

She grinned at him then and poked his ribs playfully. "Now I _really_ believe you've never been to a couple's dinner before. No woman would ever have allowed you to get away without bringing something."

"Well, you did," he pointed out, frowning at her as he knocked on the door.

The teasing light faded from her eyes as a darker, heated look crept in. It brought a flush to her cheeks and made his breath catch as blood started moving south. "You can make it up to me later, if you want," she said softly.

Kakashi shifted to one foot as his cock twitched in his pants. If she kept saying things like that, this was going to be a very uncomfortable _and _embarrassing evening for him. He was about to casually suggest she refrain from the flirtations when the door opened to reveal Genma.

"What is this?" the senbon user exclaimed, feigning shock. "Hatake Kakashi showing up on time? It's a miracle!"

He rolled his eyes at the other man's antics and said, "Hello to you too, Genma."

Genma's grin widened as his gaze fell on Sakura. "You know, Sakura-chan, I have to say I'm impressed. In all the years I've known this man, not one woman has _ever_ made him arrive on time for anything. That's quite the taming ability you have there."

"Are you just going to stand there talking nonsense or are you going to invite us in?" Kakashi demanded in a bored tone.

Pouting at having his fun ruined, their host stepped away enough to allow them in. "Shizune's gonna hit the floor when she sees you're both on time," he continued as he led them toward the living room. "We purposely held off on dinner for another twenty minutes, and unfortunately the appetizers are almost gone. Do you guys want something to drink? We've got whiskey, beer, sake … you name it, we either have it or someone brought it with them."

Kakashi ignored the pointed look Sakura shot his way and said, "Water will be fine, thanks."

"Same for me, please," she added as she looped an arm around his. Her fingers stroked absently along the bend of his elbow and the sensation was enough to send a tingle down his spine.

Genma winced and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah … that's about the one thing we don't have at the moment. See, the pipes froze and—"

"Again?" Kakashi asked, his eye widening in surprise. Sakura gave him an odd look and he belatedly realized she still didn't know he lived in the same building.

The senbon user threw his hands up in a show of disbelief. "I know, right? After we rigged the system up with heating points for Himiko-baasan, the damn things still freeze up."

"I'm tellin' you, the whole system needs to be replaced with plastic piping," Asuma called from the living room. He was sitting on the couch with Kurenai perched on the arm to one side of him. On the other was a man with scars running down his face that Kakashi vaguely remembered meeting a couple time. Raidou or Rague or something like that. He didn't recognize the blonde woman with the shrewd face sitting next to him, though it was obvious from her build that she was a kunoichi.

And on the smaller couch that had its back to the main entrance was a very familiar head of bowl cut black hair. Gai's arm was around a redheaded woman who was doing a poor job of smothering her nasally giggle at whatever he was whispering in her ear. Kakashi wasn't sure if he'd met her before or if she was new, and frankly he really wasn't interested. Gai had so many dates and girlfriends that it was hard keeping track of them. How his rival did it, he had no idea.

"Yeah, well when I quit being a ninja and become a plumber, maybe I'll do that," Genma retorted as he motioned for Kakashi and Sakura to follow him into the living room. "Sakura-chan, I think you know most everyone here already, but that guy over there is Raidou and the woman next to him is his fiancée Mikabi, and the woman next to Gai is Aki. She's a model." The way he said the last implied he'd heard that fact a few too many times already.

"I'm a _lingerie_ model," Aki corrected with another giggle as she smiled cheerfully at the new arrivals. "And what do you do, Sakura-chan?"

"Well, actually I'm a medic-nin," she answered slowly. She was nervous; he could tell by the way her fingers trembled against his arm. Kakashi freed himself from her grip and smoothed his hand across her lower back soothingly.

Aki fluttered her hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Oh, is that like a nurse?"

"Actually, it's more like a doctor," Shizune supplied as she came in with a tray full of appetizers. "Hello, Kakashi-san, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry dinner's not ready yet, but I wasn't expecting you quite so promptly."

"Ah, sorry about that," Kakashi replied. "We won't make that mistake again."

She chuckled softly and motioned to the space next to Gai. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm afraid dinner won't be for another fifteen minutes though. Genma, did you offer them anything to drink yet?"

"I did," he assured her as he returned from the kitchen with a bottle of sake and several drinking bowls. "They both asked for the only fluid we don't have at the moment."

Shizune winced and immediately headed back for the kitchen. "I think we still have some juice, if you want."

"Uh … love, if you're looking for the orange juice I had it this morning for breakfast," Genma called after her.

"I see. Well, I could squeeze some fresh for you both, if you'd like?"

"Oh, that's not necessary, Shizune-san!" Sakura exclaimed quickly. "Really, please don't put yourself through any trouble on our account."

"Speak for yourself," Kakashi murmured to her. He regretted it the minute her elbow connected with his ribs.

They took the open spot next to Gai on the smaller sofa, the other couple shuffling over a little to make room. It was a tight fit, and Sakura was a little more than halfway on his lap … but he wasn't complaining in the least. She was so close that he could feel every breath she took against his chest and all he could smell was the sweetness of her shampoo. He inhaled slightly and she immediately turned to frown at him disapprovingly. When all he did was shrug, she made a soft scoffing sound and resettled herself against him.

And apparently 'resettling' meant scooching even further onto his lap so that the nape of her neck was temptingly close. Kakashi smirked and blew lightly across her skin. He chuckled as her back stiffened against him, but she didn't retaliate.

"You know, there's an entire public library at your disposal," Kurenai pointed out as she hastily waved away the sake offered to her. "One afternoon there and Kakashi will be an expert on plumbing."

Genma paused in distributing the filled bowls to shrug in question. Kakashi arched a brow and said, "I think checking the seals again will be better." If he was going to spend an afternoon reading, it sure as hell better involve _Icha Icha._

Nodding in agreement, the senbon user added, "Yeah, definitely a better idea."

"Do it right the first time and you won't have to do it again," the named Raidou remarked dryly.

"Not if the first time is too damned expensive and time consuming. So, how about tomorrow afternoon, Kakashi? We'll pop down to the basement, rig the seals better, and hope like hell we can take baths."

Kakashi shifted uneasily as Sakura gave him another appraising look and mumbled, "Um… sure. Sounds great."

"Excellent! I'll bring the booze and you bring … whatever else we need."

"So, Kakashi," Gai drawled, a hint of his usual smile quirking at his lips. "I see you've finally decided to show off the beautiful blossom of your heart."

"Yeah, I … guess you could say that," he muttered back.

"And you've been dating for … what? A month?" Kurenai pressed as she loaded a small plate with offerings from the tray of food on the table.

"Nah, it's been longer than that, hasn't it?" Asuma asked. He was worrying a poor toothpick within an inch of its wooden life between his teeth and he kept sending glances of longing toward the balcony.

Kakashi frowned at the odd behavior. Since when did Asuma quit smoking? His eye flickered to Kurenai just in time to see her smile fondly as she rubbed her stomach. Oh… His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he refrained from confirming his suspicions by asking. Chances were, they were trying to keep quiet about the baby as well.

"It's been a little over a month now, yes," Sakura answered, blinking as she took the sake Genma passed to her automatically. She looked about as if questioning whether or not she was allowed to have it before setting it on her thigh.

Kakashi leaned forward enough to whisper in her ear, "You don't have to drink it, you know."

"I know," she replied, turning just enough to flash him a quick, warm smile. "But thanks for being concerned."

Their eyes locked and held, and for a moment he debated about closing the scant distance to brush a kiss across her lips. But then Genma was tapping the side of his glass with an hoer d'oevre fork to get everyone's attention, and the moment was broken.

"A toast!" he declared, beaming around those assembled as proudly as a daimyo observing his followers. "To all friends, old and new! And to getting some tonight." The senbon user looked pointedly at Kakashi there. He wished he'd had the foresight to bring a couple shuriken to lodge between the bastard's eyes.

Asuma shook his head and muttered, "You suck at giving toasts."

Genma whipped around with a slack jaw and bewildered eyes. "Wha… I do not suck! I sincerely hope that everyone here goes home and—"

"So, I hope you all like duck," Shizune interrupted swiftly, her smile a little more contrived than before. "Tonight, we're having cherry-orange glazed duck over saffron rice with steamed vegetables."

"You're a mind reader, Shizune, I swear," Kurenai commented. "I've been craving a nice piece of fatty duck like you can't believe."

"I can't believe it either," Asuma complained lightly, grinning as his wife gave him a dirty look.

Shizune laughed pleasantly and added, "Well, this is a new recipe so I'm not sure how it tastes yet. And if it's _not_ good—"

"Eat it anyway, you ungrateful bastards," Genma interrupted with a mock scowl as he took hold of his lover's hand and guided her to the overstuffed chair next to his. He quickly caught the decorative pillow Asuma lobbed his way, and it was only by miracle that he avoided spilling his sake in the process.

"So, one month since first discovering your love for each other," Gai remarked. "And have you found the spirit of your youth returning to you as you bask in her sweet affections?"

Genma quickly covered up his snicker with a cough when his lover glared at him. Kakashi, however, had no idea how to even reply to something like that. Fortunately though, Aki saved him the trouble as she leaned forward and murmured, "You are such a romantic man."

"It's only a reflection of the beauty surrounding me."

Shaking his head, Kakashi took a sip of sake in hopes of maybe obtaining some liquid resolve.

A low groan drew his attention to Genma, who had his face buried in his palms as he shook his head. "You did _not_ just drink that through your mask," the senbon user moaned pitifully. "That's a Wataribune sake, not tap water!"

Raidou paused just as he was about to sip his and raised a brow. "How'd you get your hands on this?"

Shizune laughed and shrugged easily. "Compliments of the Hokage, actually. I, ah … told her some good news today and she sent this over to celebrate."

Sakura gasped and bolted upright, one hand covering her mouth. "Shizune-san…?"

The older woman couldn't have smiled any brighter if she'd tried. "That's right Sakura-chan. I perfected the extraction technique we'd been working on. Whereas before we used to have to extract the blood as well as the toxin, I've figured out how to isolate only the unwanted segments. Isn't that exciting?"

Kurenai snorted and flopped back in her seat with a pout. "Yeah. _Real_ exciting. I thought it was going to be something else."

"But this _is_ exciting," Sakura countered enthusiastically. "This means we don't need to worry about blood transfusions for poison cases and patients won't be immuno-compromised from having their white cells removed. It's also more accurate and can be used on tissue repair as well."

"That's right," Shizune agreed happily. "It's revolutionary and it'll start being taught first thing Monday morning."

"So, how does this extraction method work?" Raidou asked.

"Oh, it's very easy," the dark haired medic explained. "See, once the blood anomaly is discovered and a sample isolated, it's possible to create a bond with it through chakra. You can then use your chakra as a sort of magnet to the anomaly and draw it through the body for collection. So far, I've been able to do it in a series of three to four extractions, though it doesn't remove the anomaly completely from the body. But it's cleaner and less damaging than before."

The blonde woman next to Raidou, Mikabi, frowned and looked at Sakura with more interest than she had before. "That sounds like it requires precision chakra use, Shizune."

"Most medic jutsu do," her date informed her. "Even the slightest mistake can have very negative results."

Mikabi's eyebrows went up at that. "Does this new method extend beyond toxins?"

"Potentially. I've yet to try it on, say, viral conditions, but theoretically it _should_ work," Shizune replied.

"And when you say 'theoretically' that means 'definitely'," Genma murmured as he smiled warmly at his lover.

Shizune smiled back and gave his hair an affectionate tousle. "Not always, but thanks for the vote of confidence." Then, she turned toward Kakashi and Sakura again and asked, "So, if you don't mind sharing … how did you ask her out, Kakashi?"

Kakashi cleared his throat and fidgeted uneasily. "I, ah … didn't, actually. She asked me."

Aki wrinkled her pert nose. "That's awfully forward! Most women prefer it when a man takes charge," she commented with yet another nasal snicker. "Did she pay too?"

"Actually, I didn't," Sakura cut in, fixing the older woman with a rather unfriendly look. "He took me to Kuroppoi."

There was a beat of stunned silence around the room as all eyes turned toward Kakashi in shock. He fidgeted under the scrutiny while wishing silently that Sakura hadn't felt the need to boast about that.

It was Asuma who finally broke the silence by muttering, "Damn. _I'd_ date you if you took me there."

"I like my dates with a lot less facial hair, thanks," he replied sweetly.

"Awww, but that's such a wonderful first date," Aki cooed dreamily. "He must be a really terrific boyfriend, huh, Sakura-chan?"

Kakashi's hand paused as he was about to sip his sake and his eye widened at the label. Boyfriend? _Him?_ Surely not! That was just … it wasn't him.

And yet, it didn't bother as much as surprise him to hear someone say he was Sakura's boyfriend. Weird.

Sakura, however, nearly choked on the minuscule sip she'd taken from her own bowl. "Boyfriend?" she squeezed out, her voice colored with incredulity. "Oh… No. No, it's not like that. Well, I mean … not officially. I-It's more like ... um…"

Eyebrows were raising around the room and Shizune was giving him a distinctly unfriendly glare. Kakashi winced and tried to make himself invisible as small a target as possible for the other woman's ire. He knew Sakura's denial made it sound like they were only having sex, and how quick she'd been to state it killed the part of him that had been okay with the label.

Sakura must have picked up on the unspoken assumptions because her cheeks darkened a remarkable shade of red as she hastily stammered, "Wait, that's not… I didn't mean it—"

"Of course it isn't," Gai stepped in smoothly. "A love like yours is too young to be defined, too free to be so constrained by a mere word."

"Yeah. That's… That's kind of what I meant," Sakura murmured, ducking her head quickly.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Kakashi shoved any disappointment aside in favor of covering her hand with his own and squeezing gently. She glanced at him hesitantly and whatever she saw made her smile return, albeit shyly.

Aki laughed playfully and nudged her verbose date. "So, what's _our_ love like, seeing as we've only been together two weeks?"

"Ah, we are in the most sensual moment of any relationship," the taijutsu expert replied, oblivious to the reaction of the other diners. "It is that beautiful moment of discovery and exploration, of learning the other's inner delights."

Despite the fact that Asuma and Genma were both rolling their eyes, both of their women were staring at Gai with flushed cheeks and bright eyes – much like Aki was herself. "You say the most beautiful things," she whispered, staring at Gai like he controlled the solar and lunar cycles.

Kakashi took silent pride in the fact that Sakura seemed genuinely disinterested in the romantic prose and used the moment of distraction for an opportunity to do what he'd wanted to do ever since she sat down; he brushed his lips lightly along the nape of her neck, savoring the soft skin as much as he did her hitched breath.

She turned slowly toward him, her lips parting as she fixed dark, needy eyes on his mouth. Immediately, his body began to respond to her, and it was aided when she ran a hand slowly along his thigh.

A sharp chime sounded from in the kitchen, but it was Genma's sudden movement that caused them to break apart. Kakashi did a quick glance around and happily noted that no one had witnessed their small exchange. While conducting his check, he also noted the time on the clock and groaned when he realized they'd barely been there fore twenty minutes. This was going to be a long, long night.

"Hey, Shizune? Can you stop making moon eyes at Gai and give me a hand in here?" Genma called.

"Oh… Yes, sorry. I'll be right there," she replied softly as she pushed to her feet.

"So, Genma," Asuma said as Kurenai left him to go lend a hand in the kitchen. "I hear your team got assigned their first mission."

Genma's groan could be heard from the kitchen. "Can we _not_ talk about that? Those brats are gonna be the death of me, I swear."

Gai chuckled lightly and said, "Having trouble keeping up with today's youth, eh, Genma?"

"More like today's youth are more annoying than yesterday's. Due to their disobedient nature – and this is almost directly as the Hokage said it – my team will be assigned missions with a heavy emphasis on teamwork. And none of it higher than D-rank. Do you know how embarrassing that is? Me, a jounin, going on D-ranked missions?"

"Yes," every jounin-turned-instructor in the room chorused.

"Well, setting the blow to my ego aside for a moment, there's also the fact that these kids … they're just not _learning_!"

"Don't worry. After their first real mission … they'll listen," Kurenai comforted. "Kiba was very much the trouble maker for a long time. All it took was him almost taking a kunai to the crotch to realize this isn't all fun and games."

"Yeah, but that wasn't a D-ranked mission, was it?" Genma argued bitterly. "I won't be hitting anything above that for a long damn time."

"You know, one of my team's early missions was supposed to be a B-rank," Kakashi supplied casually. "Turned out it should have been A. After that, everyone was _much_ more attentive during training."

Sakura arched a brow at him and said, "That is, when we _did_ have training sessions because a certain _someone_ kept showing up several hours late."

"That was part of the lesson."

"What?" she squawked, pushing away from him incredulously.

"Uh-oh, this is gonna be good," Genma murmured, earning him a chuckle from Asuma.

Kakashi blinked slowly and pinned her with a dull, unaffected stare. "Your enemies won't attack based off of a timeline, so why should your training sessions follow suit? _A ninja should be prepared for anything_: rule number—"

"—Three in the Shinobi Handbook, yes I know. Rule number thirteen: _daily, __**regular**__ training is necessary to maintain the skills developed and increase abilities._" Sakura smirked at him triumphantly. "If you want to keep quoting the Handbook, be my guest."

Asuma laughed from across the way and said, "She's got you there, Kakashi! Sakura, even if the duck proves inedible, just playing witness to Hatake Kakashi eating his own words was worth the invitation."

"And speaking of the duck, it's ready now if everyone wants to take a seat at the table," Shizune said, beaming proudly as she carried a tray of delicious smelling meat to the dining room.

Everyone stood and followed after her as her other two assistants arrived carrying the side dishes and more sake, and Kakashi was a little disappointed when Sakura followed suit. She only took a couple steps before she noticed he wasn't with her and paused. Smiling, she held her hand out to him.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kakashi stood up and took her offered hand, noting as he did so that her smile became softer. A small smile formed beneath his mask as he looked down at her, and the part of him that was dreading their conversation to come reared its head.

He was nervous; there was no questioning that. Whatever it was she wanted to talk about had to do with them and their relationship, and he knew by the way she'd spoken the day before that it wasn't going to be pleasant. And that made him very uneasy, though he did his best to hide it. He knew it was inevitable that the truth would eventually have to come out, he just … wanted things to stay the way they were. As necessary as it was for them to be truthful, deep down his gut told him it would also signal the end to what they had.

And he was far too jaded to believe for one second that the end would only give way to something better. That worked in movies in books – parodies of real life.

For now though, he was perfectly fine living in denial for just a bit longer if it meant holding her hand and having her smile at him in that special way. If it meant her sneaking glances at his ass, exchanging banter, burning dinner and kissing him so sweetly … he'd gladly stay in Denial Land for a good while longer.

* * *

"Hey, hey! Ichiraku Ramen's back that way!" Naruto shouted as the others walked by the turn they _should_ have taken.

Kiba snorted and said, "Who said we were goin' there? Korean barbeque's better than ramen!" Shino made a soft hum of agreement as they continued heading toward the smell of grilling meats.

For a few seconds, all he could do was splutter incoherently at such sacrilege. Burned meat better than ramen? Like hell! Making ramen was an art. It took a helluva lot more talent than slapping some dead animal on a dirty grill and letting it sit there until it's blackened.

His growling stomach didn't seem to agree with that though. It didn't care about careful preparation or anything like that. To it, food was food and it wanted it _now._

Sighing in resignation, Naruto cast a sad glance down the street before trudging slowly to catch up. Yeah, he'd already been there for lunch with Sakura … but it'd been over _two years_ since he'd last had Ichiraku Ramen. He didn't care what Sakura said; he was going through some serious withdrawal.

He'd met Kiba and Shino just as he'd been wondering what to do for dinner. Even though someone had been around to keep his place decent (as well as pay the rent so that he still _had _a place) they hadn't kept it stocked with food. He had enough money to buy himself dinner, thanks to Sakura picking up the lunch tab as her way of welcoming him home, but not nearly enough for Korean barbeque.

Maybe he could talk one of them into spotting him some money until his next mission. He was _way_ above doing all that kid stuff; he was ready for the big leagues, A-ranked only! Why, with one paycheck from an A-rank, he could pay off whatever he owed them plus his rent, _plus _Ichiraku Ramen for at least a couple weeks.

Naruto had just opened his mouth to ask, when Kiba gave his side a nudge and jerked his thumb at a trio entering the barbeque house. "See that?" he asked, grinning wide enough to flash his pointed eyeteeth.

"Um… You mean Shikamaru, Ino, and Lard Ass?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"Yeah, Team Ten. Otherwise known to us as Team Meal Ticket. Get ready to eat real good tonight, fellas!"

Shino grunted quietly and said, "It's not gonna happen tonight, not with Shikamaru _and _Ino there."

Kiba flashed him a wicked smile and winked. "Leave the blonde to me."

"Yeah, good luck handling Ino," Naruto laughed as they walked through the doors of the restaurant. "Next to Sakura, I'd say she's the scariest kunoichi in the village!"

"Didn't that Sannin teach you anything about women? All they need is a little petting and they're all yours. Like dogs."

Well, he didn't really know what Kiba was getting at, but he did know girls didn't like being called dogs. Or fat. Or anything, actually. A guy couldn't even tell them they were pretty without being called a liar. Still though, it'd been over two years since he'd last hung out with Kiba. Maybe he'd developed some crazy lady-taming talent or something.

Trusting that everything would work out like Kiba planned (whatever the plan might be), Naruto followed the other two to the table that their friends had just claimed. Ino yelped in surprise as Kiba slid into the booth next to her, causing her to scoot all the way into the corner so that Naruto could fit next to him. Shino opted for snagging a chair from a nearby table.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Ino snapped, jamming her elbow into Kiba's side in an effort to shove him out. "This is a _Team Ten_ dinner, not Morons Anonymous."

"Hey, is that anyway to welcome home a friend?" Kiba replied, looping his arm around Naruto's neck to drag him forward in a headlock. "Look who we found roaming around the streets!"

"Gah … get offa me, Kiba!" Naruto growled, tugging at the other boy's arm. Not only was his breathing be cut off, but with his nose practically buried in Kiba's armpit it felt like his nose was gonna rot off.

"Wha … is that _Naruto?_" the blonde girl asked incredulously, bending lower to peer at his face. "Oh, wow! You've gotten really tall. Does Sakura know you're back yet?"

"She knows," Shikamaru drawled as he continued weaving straw wrappers into some weird shape. "They were together when I was escorting Temari to the gates."

Immediately, Ino turned to flash a mischievous look to her teammate. "Oooo, seeing your girlfriend off, were you?" she teased. "Did you kiss her goodbye? Whisper sweet-nothings?"

Shikamaru scowled and muttered, "You got the 'nothing' part right, Ino. Everything else was way off."

"Oh, you are in such denial!" she scoffed dismissively before leaning around Kiba to smile at Naruto. "So, were you training yesterday with Forehead and Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah," he replied distractedly, his eyes following a tray of freshly cooked ribs going by their table. His stomach gurgled hungrily as the smell of charred meat and dripping fat filtered through his nose, and he pressed a hand to his gut to stifle it. Sighing wistfully, he turned back to Ino and added, "Sakura's gotten strong. Like, _scary_ strong. She busted up the ground like it was nothin'!"

Ino snorted and rolled her eyes. "I swear, Forehead gets more manly by the day. She's never going to find a man if she keeps this up!"

Shikamaru shot her a glance that for some reason made her blush hotly. Naruto's brow furrowed at the exchange, but he shrugged it off as being something weird between them. The waitress came out with a basket of rolls for their table and he immediately dove at them. He yelped when Chouji got his hands in there first and grabbed the two biggest rolls in the basket. Damn, was that lard ass fast!

"So, Shino, where's Hinata?" Ino asked after the waitress had taken their order and left. "I haven't seen her around the last couple of days. Is everything okay?"

Kiba snorted loudly and glared at his chopsticks like he wanted to stab someone with them and Shino's hand tightened around his water. "She's been holed up in the Hyuuga compound," the bug user replied, and the hardness in his voice caught Naruto's attention. "Her dad's trying to get the Kazekage to marry her."

All eyes turned to Naruto as he choked hard on his soda and came pretty freakin' close to spraying it across the table. Kiba gave his back a couple of solid whacks to try and help him as he leaned against the table and coughed fitfully. "Wha?" he gasped, blinking in surprise at Shino. "Wha'd you just say?"

"I said Hyuuga Hiashi is trying to arrange a marriage between the Kazekage and Hinata," Shino repeated calmly.

"But… But that's Gaara! Since when does Hinata love Gaara?"

"It's not a love thing, Naruto," Shikamaru explained, acting as if what he was saying should have been obvious. "Hyuuga Hiashi is looking to expand on the clan's connections, and he's using Hinata to do that. She's the Hyuuga clan's heir, after all. A marriage to the Kazekage of Suna would be a big freakin' deal."

"But he can't do that!" Naruto exploded, causing the diners around them to turn curious eyes toward their table. "She's not a piece of furniture he can just sell off! She's a person – a _ninja!_ You guys can't seriously be okay with this!"

Chouji shrugged indifferently and said, "He's been doin' it for a couple years now. And my mom's been trying to introduce me to girls, too. It's just how it's done in the major clans."

"It's not _right!_ Hinata shouldn't have to marry someone she doesn't love just 'cause her dad wants her to! No one should!"

"Relax, Naruto," Shino interjected. "It's not gonna happen."

Naruto blinked slowly and some of the outrage he'd felt began to fade away. "Huh? Why not?"

Kiba and Shino shot each other glances before the former snickered wickedly. "The last guy Hiashi tried to arrange for her to marry mysteriously backed out the day before he was supposed to sign the contract."

"No one knows why," Shino continued when his teammate broke off in quiet laughter. "But Neji was smirking for a good week afterward, so we think he had something to do with that."

Wow… Naruto sank slowly into his seat again as his mind rushed to process what he was hearing. Neji was scaring off the people Hinata was supposed to marry? The last he knew, Neji didn't even _like_ Hinata, and now he was looking out for her? Crazy – but in a really good way.

"Yeah, but I don't think it'll work with Gaara," Shikamaru interjected, leaning back from the table as two waitresses came over with heavily loaded trays. "Gaara's not exactly scared of Neji."

"That's assuming he agrees to the arrangement to begin with," Ino cut in. She cast a disapproving look at the heaping helping of ribs in front of Chouji. "Shouldn't you be dieting?"

"Shouldn't you?" the larger boy replied as he dove into his ribs. Naruto knew better than to get between Akimichi Chouji and barbequed meat, so instead he decided to mooch off of Kiba's plate. Kiba was too distracted peering down the front of Ino's dress to notice anyway.

Ino scowled darkly at her teammate before pointedly turning back to Shikamaru. "Anyway, Gaara's not exactly Mr. Touchy-Feely. I don't see him wanting to be married."

Shikamaru sucked a bit of sauce from his finger and said, "Again, doesn't really matter what _they_ want. It's what's best for their people. Gaara marrying and making ties to the Hyuuga clan would be in Suna's best interest. That would mean Suna has access to the byakugan."

"I doubt Tsunade-sama would ever let _that_ happen," she argued back. "We need to keep the byakugan more than ever, especially since the—"

She cut herself off quickly and slid a worried look Naruto's way. He knew what she'd been about to say: Konoha needed the byakugan now more than ever since there wasn't an Uchiha in the village. Sadness panged sharply through him at the reminder that not everything _was_ the same. Sasuke wasn't here to celebrate with them. Well… celebrate as much as his uptight ass would allow, that is. Even though he would have rolled his eyes and sneered the entire time, it just didn't feel _complete_ without Sasuke.

Aware that everyone was watching him intently, Naruto quickly forced a laugh and took a huge bite of meat from the bone. "What're you all lookin' sad about?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Better eat up before Fat Ass over there scarfs it all!"

Chouji paused with his mouth open to bite into his ribs. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he said in a cool, icy tone, "_What_ did you just say?"

"He said nothing!" Ino interrupted as Kiba dug an elbow into Naruto's side. "Absolutely nothing, now eat your ribs."

With one final, suspicious glare, the larger boy returned to his food. Naruto glanced at Kiba and both of them grinned. Okay, so maybe _some_ things never changed. He snagged another roll from the basket and took a huge bite from it, enjoying the warm, buttery taste. Sure, it wasn't ramen, but it was still pretty good.

"Anyway," he said, speaking around the bread in his mouth. "What're we gonna do if Hiashi _does _sell Hinata off, huh?"

Kiba's brow creased as he shook his head. "Whaddya mean what are we gonna do? There's not much we _can_ do if that happens."

"Huh? Are you crazy? You're just gonna let her get shipped off to Suna without at least puttin' up a fight? Geeze… Some teammates you guys are. Remind me never to go on missions with you."

"Hey, now, that's not fair," Shino said sharply, and even though no one could see his eyes behind the dark tinted glasses, there was no doubt he was glaring. "Me and Kiba would do anything for Hinata if we could. We don't like it, but neither of us are in a position to object. This is between her, her dad, and whoever's supposed to marry her."

"That's right," Ino agreed. "Hinata needs to stand up for herself on this one. Me personally, if my dad tried to pull this kind of outdated crap on me, I'd kill him and find my mom a new husband."

Naruto frowned and slouched further in his seat. He didn't like to say it, but they had a point. It didn't really matter what _they_ said; it mattered what Hinata said. She was the only one who could put a stop to this, but he knew she wouldn't. Hinata was all kinds of responsible and always putting her family first. He supposed if he had a family of his own he'd do the same, too. It just made him sick to think this was how marriage was for rich people. Marriage was supposed to be because two people loved each other, not because it made them more powerful.

He tucked those thoughts away for later and leaned forward to peer at Ino. "Hey, hey, why isn't Sakura-chan here, huh? Don't you guys live together now or something?"

"O-Oh," Ino stammered, dabbing her napkin daintily across her lips. "Yeah, um ... we do. And she, ah … she had plans tonight."

"Really? What's she doin'?"

"She's um … she's…"

"She's studying, isn't she, Ino?" Shikamaru asked idly. "Doesn't she have some medic exam thing coming up?"

"Yes! Yes, she does," the blonde girl exclaimed with a breezy laugh. "God, I can't believe I forgot about that. Yeah, she's studying right now, Naruto. She's really nervous, you know."

He couldn't possibly begin to understand why Sakura would be nervous about a test. She was one of the smartest people he knew. _Plus_, she was an ace medic as well. There was no doubt in his mind she'd pass whatever the test was perfectly. Shrugging indifferently, he took the small plate of meat Shikamaru pushed across to him and said, "Okay. I thought maybe she had a date with Thick Brows or somethin'."

Kiba spluttered and hacked loudly as he choked on his drink. "What?" he gasped, his face reddening from the lack of oxygen as well as laughter. "You think … Sakura's datin' _Lee?_"

Naruto's brow pinched as he gave the boy next to him a shove. "Well, who else would she be datin'? Iruka-sensei?"

For some reason, this only made Kiba laugh louder. Naruto growled irritably when a flailing arm almost caught him in the stomach. "You're still … so dead … last," the dark haired boy managed to squeeze out as tears brightened his eyes. "Sakura … not datin' Lee. She's – OOF!" Kiba suddenly disappeared beneath the table as if someone had given his foot a hard pull.

Now it was Naruto's turn to laugh as the bewildered dog lover squirmed his way back into the booth. "I'm dead last? _You_ can't even sit down without fallin' on your ass!" he joked, earning a chuckle from Chouji and a smirk from Shikamaru. Stupid Kiba… That's what he got for being a jerk!

"Kiba, you okay?" Shino asked as his teammate peered beneath the shadowy underside of the table cautiously.

"Yeah," he mumbled distractedly. "Just felt like somethin' grabbed my leg, that's all…" No one noticed Shikamaru wink at Ino, or her mouthing 'thank you' back to him.

"So, anyway," Ino interrupted pleasantly, flashing a friendly smile toward Naruto. "I bet you saw a lot of really interesting places, Naruto. Why don't you tell us about it?"

Shrugging as if it wasn't that big a deal (although secretly he liked the attention), he rubbed a hand across his nose and said, "It's kinda hard to pick a good starting point. That pervy sage dragged me – I mean, me and him went to all kinds of places. Like, this one time we went to Wave Country and—"

"Here ya go, kids! Have a great evening." The waitress smiled as she left the bill, which was three handwritten pages long (did they really eat _that_ much food?), on the table for them to tally up.

Ino made to grab it, but at that exact moment, Kiba's hand knocked into his soda pop. The blonde girl gasped and leapt to her feet as dark cola stained across her pale blue dress. "Kiba! Look what you've done!" she yelped, quickly snatching napkins from the table to wipe at the liquid. "Damn it, this is _silk_! D'you have any idea how easily that stains?"

"Gee, I'm sorry, Ino," Kiba replied, managing a very convincing grimace. "Here, lemme help with—"

She slapped his hands away with a ferocious scowl and gave his leg a kick under the table. "Get outta the way! I've gotta get home and get this thing soaking before it sets."

Naruto squawked as he was all but shoved out of the booth. He was about to tell Kiba off for pushing him like that, but then Shino stood up and clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go," he murmured, nodding toward the door.

That was the moment where it all clicked for him. Kiba had purposely spilled the drink on Ino to distract her from the bill. While Kiba continued to apologize, even going so far as to say he'd walk her home, it provided enough distraction for him and Shino to slip out. The only person who would've noticed this was Shikamaru, but he was too busy nudging at Chouji to say anything about it.

Snickering and secretly applauding Kiba's cleverness, Naruto quickly headed for the door. Maybe he wasn't such a jerk after all, seeing as he was willing to brave it out with a pissed off Ino just to let his friends escape. That was pretty cool of him.

As soon as all the dashers were gone (and if it wouldn't be such a pain in the ass he'd go after them for the money), Shikamaru elbowed his best friend roughly and hissed, "What're you doing, Chouji? You're just gonna let Ino go off with Kiba like that?"

Chouji paused in sucking on a bone and gave him a confused look. "Um… yeah?" he replied, as if it should have been very obvious.

Shikamaru slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. "Man, don't tell me you didn't notice!"

"Notice what?"

Okay, so he wasn't _really_ surprised Chouji'd missed the clues with food on the table, but still… "Kiba's into Ino. He's probably gonna ask her out tonight if you don't do something!"

There was a moment of silence before the larger boy shrugged and grunted, "Not my problem." He began licking his fingers clean of sticky barbeque sauce, unaware that his friend was gaping at him in disbelief.

"Not your … Chouji! You're seriously gonna sit here and just _let_ him take her from you? I thought you liked her!"

"I do," Chouji explained as he reached for the bill. "But she'd be a real bossy girlfriend. And she'd have me on a constant diet. So … I thought it'd be better if I went out with someone who likes to cook and won't give me a hard time about eating."

Shikamaru couldn't believe he was hearing this. After how many weeks of pining and strategizing and arranging things so that Chouji could have the advantage when it came to Ino's time … and he didn't _want_ her anymore? Slouching in his seat and suppressing another groan, he asked weakly, "Who is it now?"

The waitress came up then to collect the bill and smiled sweetly at them. "Nice seeing you boys again. Have a good evening!"

"You too, and tell your dad the ribs were awesome," Chouji replied, blushing as he avoided making direct eye contact.

When he turned toward his friend, it was to discover Shikamaru slouched so far down that he was almost hidden by the table – and he was looking more irritated than usual.

* * *

"So, are you two coming with us?"

Sakura blinked at Genma's question and looked from him to Shizune in confusion. "Where are you going?" she asked, noting that everyone else was standing as well.

Dinner had been a lot of fun, once the initial awkwardness of meeting new people was done and over with. Everyone had been really friendly and welcoming to her, the food was fantastic, and afterward she'd had a chance to mingle with the other women for a bit. She'd been a little nervous coming in that she, being much younger than everyone else, would be completely out of place. But that hadn't been the case at all. In fact, she'd somehow gotten herself invited to go shopping for baby stuff with Kurenai and Shizune – and she hadn't even known the former was pregnant!

"Kuroran," Shizune replied as she gathered the last of the champagne glasses to take to the kitchen. "It's a dance club just a couple blocks away from here. You like dancing, don't you, Sakura-chan?"

She did, very much so, and she was surprised her superior remembered that. Everyone else was already heading for the door, obviously having discussed this before she and Kakashi had arrived. Her eyes followed Aki as Gai spun her into a deft turn, causing the redhead to giggle in delight as they started the dancing early.

It'd been a long time since she'd gone out to a club, and the idea was _really_ appealing – especially the part her imagination filled in of Kakashi holding her close as they swayed to a nice, slow, romantic number. But … she knew without asking that he wasn't the dancing type, and even if he was they were on a deadline. It was already half past nine and Ino would be home by midnight. She _had_ to talk to him tonight.

Letting out a soft breath, Sakura shook her head. "Not this time, thanks. And thank you for a wonderful dinner, Shizune-san. It was a lot of fun," she said.

Shizune laughed, her head inclining in a partial bow for the compliment. "Well, thank you! I'm glad you had fun. And maybe we'll see more of you at these thing, hm?"

Sakura blushed at the implication but nodded as she and Kakashi exited the apartment. Genma clapped him on the back and said, "Hatake, I'll probably see you tomorrow, too."

"I hope not," Kakashi replied before slipping an arm over Sakura's shoulders and pretending he didn't see the finger extended in his direction as they followed the rest of the couples out of the apartment complex. Once outside, more goodbyes were said, a few taunts were leveled at the man walking with her, and then it was just the two of them walking back toward her place.

Once they were alone and out of ear shot, Kakashi said, "We could have gone, if you'd wanted." He slipped an arm across her shoulders, his fingers rubbing slow circles across her shoulder.

She tipped her head back to smile at him as she wrapped an arm around his waist. "I know, but I didn't feel like it either. Besides, what's the point of going to a dance club when you're not going to dance?"

"Are you talking about me specifically, or is the 'you' more in general?"

Laughing as she leaned into him further, she said, "Both, I guess. The only way I'd be able to dance is if someone else danced with me and … and I don't think I'd like that."

She felt more than heard him chuckle and her eyes closed briefly when he brushed a kiss against the top of her head. "That's a very good answer."

"No, it's not."

"Hm?"

"It means that you'll have to take dance lessons, because I _like_ dancing." She giggled as he slapped a hand to his face and groaned.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Kakashi remarked dryly. "Me skipping about in one of those frilly shirt and sequins—"

"Stop, you're making me drool," Sakura deadpanned before jumping sharply as he gave her arm a pinch.

"You are a strange, strange girl, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep, contented breath, one that carried his scent and made her stomach flutter. "You're in _no_ position to call anyone strange, Kakashi-sensei."

Her eyes opened as she felt him stiffen a little against her, prompting her to lean away with a frown. When she looked at him, he was busy watching the sidewalk and there was absolutely no emotion to his features. She came to a halt, causing him to glance at her questioningly.

She rose on tiptoe and placed a gentle kiss to his cloth covered lips. Her mouth lingered on his a little longer than she'd intended, but the feel of his lips moving against hers was mesmerizing. The only reason she drew back at all as because her feet were beginning to ache from the strain.

For a moment, it felt as if nothing existed but them. They were standing in the middle of the sidewalk with a scattering of people walking around, probably staring at them, but it was all peripheral to the way he was looking at her. Her eyes slid closed and her breath escaped in shuddering puffs as he gently traced his fingers along the curve of her cheek.

The intention had been to show rather than tell him that 'sensei' was only a title, a word. It didn't mean anything to her where they were concerned. Sakura felt his forehead meet hers, their noses pressing together as his breath warmed her lips. She knew then that he'd understood what she'd been trying to convey, and he was thanking her in the same manner.

Kakashi pulled away and her eyes blinked open dazedly as she looked up at him. The streetlight caught in his dark eye, illuminating the heated, hungry spark that never failed to make her shiver. He caught her hand and motioned with his head in the direction they had been walking. Sakura, her cheeks flushed as the slow, warm feeling continued to curl about in her lower stomach, nodded and fell into step with him.

The rest of the walk back to her apartment was silent but full of small, gentle touches: his thumb across her knuckles, her cheek rubbing against his arm, the barest impression of a kiss to her head or his shoulder. In a way, just walking with him like this was more arousing and endearing than any of the more passionate moments between them. Kakashi wasn't the sort of man who expressed himself emotionally, so it was doubly precious to her that he was comfortable enough to allow for a public display, however slight it might be. In a way, it almost answered the question of how he felt about her.

Almost.

And with that, some of the pleasant heat died away as a colder sensation began to encroach. It reminded her that they still needed to talk and that every step closer to her apartment was making it more and more real. What if he didn't want to tell Naruto about their relationship? What if she was reading into things more than she should?

They entered her apartment building without a word and ascended the stairs in the same fashion. She could feel Kakashi watching her surreptitiously as she unlocked the door. He followed after her, shutting the door as she flicked on the living room light.

She shrugged out of her sweater and tossed it as well as her purse into the nearby chair before crouching down to undo her strappy shoes. "Do you want some tea?" she asked as she heard him move further into room.

"No, thank you," he replied as he made himself at home on the couch.

The only reason she'd even asked was because she was trying to stall. Sakura took her time setting her shoes just so by the door before heading over to the couch as well. Her stomach was fluttering wildly and it felt like her heart was trying to climb up her throat. She sat down next to him, ignoring the voice that was prompting her to lean in closer, snuggle in to his side. This was a serious discussion and she couldn't do it while enjoying the warm feel of him against her.

For several seconds, they just sat there, hardly even looking at each other. It was Kakashi who finally broke the tension, despite the fact _she_ had been the one to initiate this talk. "Okay," he began softly as he shifted around to face her. "What did you want to talk about?"

Sakura took a deep, shaky breath and picked at a crease in her skirt nervously. "I just … well, now that Naruto's back, I was wondering … what do you want to do?"

If he was surprised by the question, it didn't show. Instead, he nodded slowly, his face completely unreadable. "Mine is not the only opinion that matters here, Sakura," he replied, his gaze falling to where her fingers were now twisting a knot in her skirt.

Her nose wrinkled as she said, "You're evading the question."

"Maybe a little bit, but so are you."

She stopped worrying at her dress and closed her eyes. "Can't you just tell me this once what you're thinking?" she pleaded, an edge of frustration creeping into her voice.

Kakashi sighed heavily and raked a hand back through his disheveled hair. As if the room had become unbearably hot all of a sudden, he tugged his mask down to bunch around his neck. "I think," he said slowly, as if still trying to formulate what he was trying to say. "That it's going to hurt Naruto if he finds out about us."

Sakura's heart plummeted sharply at that.

"But, I also think it'll hurt him a hell of a lot more if we _don't_ tell him and he finds out from someone else."

And just like that, the stupid organ was back where it had been. "So… So you think we _should_ tell him?"

He looked at her then and she was surprised to note a bit of sadness in his eye. When his fingers brushed across her cheek before sliding back into her hair, she couldn't help but to lean into the touch.

"I've told you my thoughts. Now what are yours?"

Sakura's eyes opened slowly, but she didn't pull away from the delicious feel of his palm curving to her cheek. "I think we should tell him," she whispered. "It's important and he deserves to hear it from one of us."

Kakashi arched a brow. "_One_ of us?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'll tell him. I think it'll be easier coming from me than you. No offence, Kakashi, but sometimes you're not the most sympathetic person out there."

His lips quirked in a brief smile, which she answered with one of her own. "Okay. If you're sure about this—"

"I'm sure."

"—Then you can tell him. The sooner, the better though. You do know this might affect the team dynamics a bit, right?"

It was now her turn to arch a brow at him. "As if our dating each other doesn't do that already?"

Kakashi shrugged to concede the point before leveling a hard, indiscernible look at her. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment, debating about whether or not to even mention the bet. It was obvious, both from his response concerning Naruto as well as his actions all night, that he cared about her and was serious about their relationship. But she didn't want to mention the bet until after she'd talked to Tsunade – which wouldn't be until tomorrow.

Ignoring the little voice protesting in the back of her consciousness, Sakura shook her head and said, "No."

His fingers paused briefly as they combed through her hair. "No?"

"No," she repeated, smiling as she rubbed her lips across his wrist. "But there _is_ something else I'd like to do now."

Heat flickered through his dark eye as she moved in closer to him, his hand slipping around to the back of her neck to draw her in. "Oh, yeah?" he murmured, tilting his head slightly to better receive her lips.

"Yeah," she breathed back as she placed a hand to his chest for balance. The first brush of his lips against hers caused her to suck in a sharp breath and moan. On the second, that wonderful lightheaded feeling came over her, and by the third her hand was stroking up his chest to circle his neck.

This was what she'd wanted all evening, she realized as his tongue tapped gently at her lips. She opened for him, and all at once the kiss became much more. His tongue swept inside her mouth, curled and stroked around her own as the hand on the back of her neck became tangled in her hair. Sakura shifted to her knees on the sofa, lifting her dress out of the way as she pressed herself eagerly to his chest.

Kakashi groaned into her mouth, his teeth nipping at her lower lip as his free hand traced tentative circles along her bare knee. When she took hold of his wrist and guided his hand further up her leg, his touch became firmer, more confident, until his fingers were gripping her thigh in such a way that she pulled away from the kiss with a gasp.

Their eyes met briefly before he was suddenly guiding her down onto the cushions. He followed her down and she was equal parts excited and nervous about what was more than likely to come. Some of it must have shown in her face, because Kakashi paused, bracing himself on one forearm as his hand smoothed more gently along her thigh.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice a little huskier than she was used to hearing.

Not trusting herself to speak, she hesitated a moment before nodding. Yes, this was okay. She wanted this. Even through the uncertainty, she knew that for a fact. She wanted Kakashi in everyway possible. She wanted the promise of pleasure that burned in his eyes – both of them – as he looked down at her.

She wanted Kakashi to be her first lover. And, maybe, her _only_ lover.

When he slipped a thigh between her legs, she didn't hesitate in spreading them wide enough to accommodate his hips. A startled gasp tore from her throat and her hips gave a sudden arch at the feel of his erection pressing just where her body ached. Even through the layers of clothing, she could feel how hot he was, how hard and eager to take things further. She felt him shudder and watched as his eyes squeezed tightly shut, as if even this limited contact was almost too much for him.

Sakura smoothed her hand up the front of his itchy sweater until she was cupping his cheek, running her thumb over his lower lip tenderly. She waited until his eyes opened before arching up to kiss him chastely … and roll her hips in the barest of movements.

Kakashi gasped and she used it as an excuse to touch her tongue to his, to circle her arm around his back and pull him down completely against her. Another deep, needy groan left him as he returned the kiss, one hand tangling in her hair again as the other gripped her hip and guided the slow, circular grind. Every time they came together, his body rubbed against hers, sparking her passion higher and sending pleasant tingles racing all through her nerves. Every time they drew apart, she moaned at the loss and immediately sought him out again.

Things became blurry as the movement of their hips increased. She was vaguely aware of jerking his sweater up and off and of how much _better_ it felt to run her hands along the smooth, hard muscles of his arms. His undershirt was thin, clinging to him like a second skin so that she could feel the firmness of his chest against her, could feel the shifting of muscles in his abdomen with every back and forth thrust. She didn't realize until a sharp jolt of pleasure shot through her that he'd slipped a hand down the front of her dress and was now exploring her bare breast, kneading and massaging the soft flesh while his fingers rubbed over the stiffened peak. It felt amazing, left her breathless and aching for more.

It occurred to her as his mouth descended upon her throat to cover it with scorching kisses that they essentially _were_ having sex, albeit completely dressed. She should have been embarrassed or at the very least feel _some_ kind of maidenly shyness. Either she didn't possess any or else it was being buried beneath the onslaught of skin and friction.

Sakura arched her back and threaded her fingers through his hair as his mouth began to move lower. She lifted her leg higher across his hip at the tugging of his hand, moaned as his callused fingertips began to slide higher along her skin. Her breath came in ragged pants, her hair clung to the sweat beading her brow and cheeks. She pulled at his undershirt until she could slip her hands beneath the fabric to explore the broad expanse of his back with fingers and nails. His skin was damp and every time her nails pressed into his shoulders his breathing hitched.

Her panting breaths blew across his temple as she nuzzled his cheek, trying to draw him into another kiss. Kakashi obliged her immediately, his tongue plunging into her mouth. She wanted to kiss him back, to caress his tongue with hers, but the intensity of his mouth on hers was too much to reciprocate. So instead, she let him lead and responded by following his cues. She hooked her foot around his thigh, let her hands run down to grope the tight firmness of his ass through his pants, and let the pleasure crash through her unrestrained.

Then he was _touching her_ and she suddenly forgot about everything: modesty, her name, breathing … all of it completely blown from her mind by the slow, hesitant touch of his fingers between her legs. He pressed against her core again, drawing back to watch her shiver and grind herself into his touch. Again, this time following the seam of her panties lower to tease her entrance.

His mouth was on hers again as he kept working his fingers against her, causing heat and dampness to pool between her legs at his ministrations. She moaned and gasped and panted as she arched her back, rolled her body into his, rubbed herself against him. There was no thinking behind the act, only instinctive movement.

Something was building inside her, something raw and primal. She could feel it coiling hotly in her stomach, winding tighter with each circular rub of his thumb against a particularly sensitive spot – the clitoris, her memory supplied helpfully. Not that she really cared as long as he didn't _stop_ touching it.

The heat of his erection pressing into her thigh made her eyes open hazily as he continued nipping and sucking at her neck and shoulder. She debated a moment, torn between inexperience and wanting to give him pleasure as well, before sliding her hand along the narrow curve of his hip and between his legs.

As soon as her hand came into contact with his length, Kakashi cried out sharply. His body went tense and for the longest time he remained utterly still against her, the only movement coming from the ragged, panting breaths that were smothered against her shoulder. And then he was covering her hand with his so that he could show her how he liked to be touched.

She wasn't certain at first that she was doing it right. He was much larger than she'd thought and surely such a firm grip couldn't be pleasant. But the more she stroked him through his pants, the sharper his breaths until they were tinged with gasps and grunts and little moans of pleasure. Kakashi released her hand and returned to pleasuring her as well, pressing the heel of his palm against her and rubbing until her hips picked up the rhythm and began to move in time.

The tingling sensation started once more, easing through her until all that mattered was the next press of his hand to her core, the heavy, hot weight of him between her fingers. For all she knew, the village could be burning down around them and she wouldn't care because it felt _so good_ and _god_ she could feel herself drawing closer and closer to that nameless something, and instinct told her it would be wondrous when it happened. Just a little closer … a little more…

"Ino."

It was groaned against her lips and she was so caught up in the passion that for a second she didn't hear what he'd said. "What?" she gasped, angling her hips a little so that his fingers pressed almost _exactly_ where she wanted them.

Kakashi groaned and shook his head even as he continued to kiss her. "Wait … stop. Ino—"

_That_ time, however, she heard clear as day what he'd said. Sakura froze beneath him before letting out an angry growl and shoving him none too gently to the floor. "You pervert!" she railed, her cheeks burning in a mixture of rage and embarrassment as she quickly fixed her clothing. "You have some gall moaning _her _name while—"

Her tirade died quickly when she heard the sound of someone opening the door. Sakura's eyes widened in horrified shock as it suddenly dawned on her that the reason he'd said Ino's name was because she was coming through the door right that very minute. But… But she wasn't supposed to be home until midnight! What the hell was that Pig doing home early?

By the time Ino pushed the door open, Kakashi was just getting to his feet and Sakura was still smoothing out her skirt. The blonde stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two of them – or, rather, when she saw Kakashi, who was still in the process of pulling his mask in place. Round blue eyes blinked in stunned surprise and her mouth moved but all that came out were choked little sounds of wonder.

It occurred to her that until that moment Ino had never seen Kakashi's face and was probably just as surprised as she had been to discover just how very handsome he was. Scowling at her roommate, Sakura quickly put herself between the two of them and placed her hands on her hips. "Do you mind, Pig?" she snapped.

All Ino did was point at Kakashi and continue to make those odd noises as she struggled to find her vocabulary.

Sakura rolled her eyes impatiently and grabbed Kakashi's hand. "I guess you'd better go now," she grumbled irritably. Desire was still pounding through her veins, throbbing warmly between her legs, and because that _stupid Pig_ had to come home early, nothing was going to be done about it. He didn't protest as she pulled him toward the door and passed Ino, who was still too busy being weird to do anything about it.

Once they were in the hallway with the door shut behind them, Sakura leaned back and sighed unhappily. "I'm sorry," she said, staring at her bare toes. "She wasn't supposed to be home so early."

"It's … okay," he muttered back, tucking his hands into his pockets. The movement drew her eye to his crotch and the rather noticeable bulge that remained. Kakashi cleared her throat pointedly, letting her know he'd noticed where her gaze had wandered.

She blushed darkly and somehow managed to lift her eyes to meet his again. Some of the heat still sparked in his eye as he looked at her, causing the ache between her legs to pulse hard. If only Ino had stayed out like she'd asked her to…

Kakashi cleared his throat again and fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well," he said at last. "I should probably get going."

Sakura nodded glumly. "Yeah."

"You, ah … don't have any plans tomorrow, do you?"

Her mood perked up instantly at the implication behind his question. Fighting back a smile, she shook her head and said, "No. I mean, I'll be at the hospital until five, but after that I don't have anything."

He nodded thoughtfully and stared with narrow eyes at a spot on the wall behind her. "Would you want to … maybe come over to my place?"

An excited thrill moved through her and her heart sped up considerably at the prospect. She'd be seeing his apartment, the place where he lived – _alone_. They could pick up where they'd left of and maybe…

Oh.

Sakura felt a flutter of anticipation in her stomach as she whispered, "I'd like that very much."

Nodding again, Kakashi leaned in stiffly and placed an awkward kiss to her cheek. "Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, tomorrow. Um … bye."

He waved over his shoulder was he quickly descended the stairs.

She waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps any longer before closing her eyes and releasing her pent up breath. Wow. Tomorrow, she'd be going over to Kakashi's apartment. Was he expecting her to sleep with him tomorrow night? Was _she_ expecting that same thing?

No, she couldn't go in thinking like that. For all she knew, he was just asking her over to hang out, maybe have dinner. She couldn't walk in with any preconceptions for how the evening would progress.

But … what if it _was_ to sleep with him? When he'd been on top of her and touching her so intimately, she'd been absolutely positive that was what she'd wanted. Now that it was over though … she wasn't so sure. After all, she still had to tell him about the bet. It didn't seem right taking things further when she still had that looming over her head.

Letting out a low breath, Sakura entered the apartment again and was relieved to note that Ino wasn't anywhere to be seen. She could hear water running in the bathroom and knew her roommate was probably getting ready for bed. Good. She didn't much feel like talking about what had just happened.

She quickly escaped into her room, carefully shutting the door behind her so as not to attract Ino's attention, and began undressing in the dark. Her body was still wound up from Kakashi and she was having a hard time keeping her mind from wandering down that same path. The dress was laid out across the back of her vanity chair along with her bra. She groped blindly across the floor for the oversized t-shirt she'd slept in the night before and drew it on over her head. In the process, the back of her hand accidentally brushed across a nipple … and the pleasure that action produced made her pause.

Very slowly, her lower lip caught between her teeth and the voice of propriety reminding her that this wasn't something good girls did, she cupped her breast with one hand and ran her thumb across her nipple. A soft, breathless sigh escaped her as the pleasant sensations returned. Another brush, this time more firmly – more like how Kakashi had touched her – and the tip became firm beneath the pad of her thumb. The next time she did it, she rolled it between her fingers and gasped at the throbbing need it created between her les.

Sakura glanced at the door, her entire body quivering with desire, and debated the situation. On the one hand, her door was closed and so long as she stayed quiet no one would ever know. On the other hand … Ino was just down the hall and had almost no qualms about just letting herself in.

She crawled into bed, her heart hammering and her fingers shaking nervously as she slipped beneath the covers. Once the blankets were pulled up beneath her chin, she closed her eyes and let her hands slide under her shirt. When her fingers came into contact with her bare breasts, she had to bite her lower lip to hold back on the moan. Her eyes remained closed as curious fingers traced and explored her flesh, drawing closer to the tightened peaks demanding attention. She thought about Kakashi: how he'd looked at her, kissed her – touched her. How the calluses on her own fingers were only a rough imitation of his and marvelous it'd felt to have him stretched out over her.

Her hips shifted beneath the covers, restless as she continued rolling her nipples between her fingers, kept kneading the soft mounds just as he'd done. Sakura's head rolled across her pillow and her lips parted on a breathy sigh as she remembered the hot feel of his lips on her neck, the sharper counterpoint of his teeth followed by the soft, slick slide of his tongue across her pulse. She remembered the touch of his fingers on her thigh, strong and insistent but never unpleasant.

And then her memory conjured up the sensation of him touching her through her panties and how much she'd wanted him to move beyond the fabric, to actually _touch _her.

Without more hesitation than it took to fumble with the hem of her panties, Sakura let one hand glide between her legs. Her finger combed through the curls covering her sex and moved lower. She felt dampness there and it took her an embarrassing amount of time before her memory kicked in again and reminded her that it was a normal part of sexual arousal. Her legs spread a little further, one knee lifting to tent the covers and disguise the movement of her hand should an uninvited visitor happen to pop in.

She hesitated, her fingers poised just above the narrow slit of her sex. Common sense warred with her moral upbringing. She knew medically that masturbation was perfectly normal and, in fact, encouraged, but … her sense of decency kept arguing that it _wasn't _okay to do this. Touching herself while thinking about a man wasn't what nice, respectable girls did.

Maybe she wasn't as nice and respectable as she'd thought because suddenly two inquisitive fingers were slipping easily through the slickness of her labia until they came to a tight little nub of flesh – her clitoris. Instantly, her back arched and her mouth opened in a silent gasp as lightning seemed to sear through her. Wonderful, delicious lightning that had her fingers dipping further into the thick fluid of her sex before returning to press against that small button for more. It was appropriate, really, that it felt like electricity was running through her veins, considering whose face she saw behind her closed eyes.

Sakura took the time to explore the various ways of stimulating her clitoris, alternating between a quick up and down motion and tight, circular movements. It all felt so good, reminded her intensely of how it'd felt to have Kakashi's fingers there while his erection rubbed and pressed against her thigh. The winding sensation was back again, the one that had heralded something much grander than the pleasure she was already feeling. There wouldn't be any interruptions this time and the knowledge that she'd _finally_ experience what it was filled her with excitement, adding to the sensations coursing through her body.

She was aware of her hips rocking into her touch, of her body writhing in shallow, careful movements that didn't do more than cause the bed to creak the barest amount. Her head rolled across the pillow again, sweat coated her skin thinly and her free hand continued to fondle her breast.

Her fingers were moving faster now and she could just make out the wet sound of her digits stroking across slick flesh. Soft pants and choked off moans fell steadily from her lips as all the sensation in her entire body slimmed down to what was happening between her legs. Behind her closed eyes, the image she had of Kakashi's face – of the way he'd looked when she'd touched him – began to blur and give way to tiny white lights. She could feel the invisible coil in her stomach wind tighter and tighter … and then it released.

Sakura's eyes flew open in shock as an as yet unimaginable flood of pleasure overcame her. Her fingers stilled, unable to move under the overwhelming amount of sensation, and suddenly things like breathing became secondary to the tightening of muscles between her legs. Everything was hazy, disconnected, as if she'd been flung from her body and was now a non-corporeal being lost to the headiness of orgasm.

It took several long minutes for her to come down from that high, but even when she did she was still dazed by how _amazing_ that had felt. Panting lightly, her body still trembling from the experience of her first orgasm, Sakura relaxed against her sheets in bliss. She felt boneless, as if the heat had melted her completely. Tiny tingles of pleasure still pulsed through her sex as she withdrew her hand from both her panties and the covers. She studied the slick fluid coating her digits in the filtered moonlight coming through her curtain curiously before reaching out with her other to grab some tissue off the nightstand.

She wiped her hand clean, though it was almost too much physical effort to do right then, and tossed the soiled tissue into the waste paper basket near her vanity. There was nothing she could do about the faint scent that lingered, which smelled oddly like one of the storage closets at the hospital now that she was able to think once again. Hopefully, Ino wouldn't come bursting in first thing in the morning, at least not until she'd had a chance to do something about it.

Sakura flopped back against the pillows again and stared up at the ceiling of her room, a strange mixture of satisfaction and longing still lingering in her system. It had felt fantastic, but something told her it could be _more _than that. She knew instinctively that it could be more earth shattering than it already was, and while part of her was undeniably excited about that prospect the other was afraid that it would be too much for her to take.

Disappointed that the orgasmic high was already beginning to ebb away, Sakura rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes.

* * *

The minute Kakashi was outside her apartment, he didn't waste time in performing a transportation jutsu, one that carried him directly into his apartment.

"Hey, you're back early," Pakkun called from the couch as he immediately made his way for the bathroom, stripping as he went. "Did somethin' happen?"

The pug never got an answer as he shut the bathroom door in his face. It wasn't until he twisted one of the spigots of his shower and received a dull groaning sound of pipes in return that he belatedly remembered the pipes were frozen.

"_Damn_ it," he hissed irritably as he leaned back against the door and closed his eyes. All he'd wanted was a nice, hot shower to jerk off in, and he couldn't even have that. His cock was all but begging for attention. And he couldn't wait any longer.

Kakashi palmed the head of his prick, smearing the fluid pearling at the end across his fingers before taking hold of his hot, hard flesh and fisting it. His hand moved in quick, hard strokes, fueled by his denied release earlier as well as the scent of Sakura that clung strongly to his fingers. The musky smell of her desire, of the fluid that had long dried in the whorls of his fingertips mingled with his own and was enough to send him sliding to the floor with his knees raised and his eyes tightly closed.

He recalled everything about their interrupted encounter and his imagination filled in the rest. He imagined her spread out beneath him, her pale flesh bare and slick with perspiration as her firm breasts rose and fell with each panting breath. She would look at him with hungry, needing eyes, lick her lips invitingly as she pulled him to her. He could almost _feel_ the puff of her breath against his cheek as she gasped at the feel of him parting her folds. And when he pushed into that tight, wet pussy of hers, she would cling to him, her nails pressing into his shoulders.

His balls were tight and the throbbing was beginning to extend to his lower back, signaling how close he was to coming. Kakashi's hand moved quicker, squeezed tighter, and drove himself closer to the edge. In his mind, much slimmer fingers were stroking his cock, working him effortlessly toward orgasm. His legs shifted, spreading further as if she really _was_ there watching him. Each upstroke was met with a swipe to his head, a quick press of his thumb to the thin slit, and every downward motion was given a little extra pressure.

And then the pressure inside him burst. His back arched sharply from the door as his hips gave a hard, spastic jerk and ground against his fist. Fluid spurted hotly across his fist, splattered across his thigh and smeared along the muscles of his abdomen. Pleasure slashed through him hard, drowning his senses to all but the intensity of his release. His hand continued to move, though slowly now in order to draw out the sensation.

Kakashi sighed and sagged back against the hard wooden door, let his semen coated fingers fall away languidly. Vaguely, he had the thought that at least he hadn't made a mess on the tiles, but that was tempered with the knowledge that it wasn't any better since he didn't have a shower to clean up with. He'd have to spend some money tomorrow morning at one of the bathhouses to get cleaned up.

It was worth it though. There was no way he could have gone to sleep with such a raging hard on and no relief.

Sighing again as he slowly pushed to his feet and reached for a towel to wipe himself off with, Kakashi silently berated himself once again for inviting her over the next evening. He'd acted on impulse and hormones – not good. That sort of brash action was exactly why this relationship was a bad idea to pursue. If he reacted like that on a mission…

He shook his head, too tired and too sated to want to think about that right now. There were much bigger concerns at present – such as making his apartment presentable for company. He had no idea what he was expecting from tomorrow night. Really, what the hell had he been thinking by inviting Sakura over?

Kakashi glanced at the fluid smeared across the towel and arched a wry brow. Okay, so he knew what he'd been thinking at the time. But what was he _really_ supposed to do with her tomorrow night?

His brain was just as helpful now as it had when he'd asked her; all he got in response was Sakura in various positions, most of which were far too slutty to ever be expected from her. Then again, he hadn't expected her to actually jerk him off through his pants either … so maybe there was a chance she _would_ pose like that for him.

He scowled when his cock gave an interested twitch. "None of that now," he muttered in annoyance as he grabbed another towel to wrap around his hips. Even though he lived alone, he still didn't like walking completely naked around the place.

When he left the bathroom, Pakkun jumped down from the couch and came trotting after him, his flat nose sniffing the air curiously. "So I take it th' date didn't go well, huh?" the dog commented.

"No, it was fine," Kakashi replied as he dropped both towels into the laundry basket of dirty clothes. "She's actually coming over tomorrow night."

Pakkun's ears perked at that and his round little head cocked at a sharp angle. "Really? Want I should tell everybody ta stay away?"

He hesitated in pulling up the loose pants he wore for bed before muttering, "Yeah, better do that." He wasn't planning to have sex with her … but he also hadn't planned on feeling her up tonight either. And if sex _was_ an option tomorrow, the last thing he wanted was a pack of dogs sniffing at the door. It was his experience that tended to creep out potential lovers.

Kakashi dropped down onto his narrow bed and made the necessary adjustments to keep the loose spring from digging into his side. He patted the space next to his chest and Pakkun immediately jumped up to claim it, grunting as he stretched out next to his summoner.

"Might wanna consider getting' a new mattress, too," the pug mumbled drowsily.

"You've been saying that for years," he replied before yawning as he looped an arm around the small dog.

"Suite yourself. But it's mighty lumpy, don't ya think?"

Kakashi scowled and thumped Pakkun's chest in sleepy reprimand. Despite the fact that the pug had a point, a new mattress wasn't necessary yet. Because he wasn't planning to sleep with Sakura tomorrow night. Not at all.

He cracked an eye open and stared at the back of Pakkun's furry head. "We can look tomorrow, but no promises."

The dog grunted happily and snuggled closer. "Knew there was a reason I liked you."


	25. It Could Be Wrong

**Thank you to slinkymilinky and thatlittleredhead for the amazing fan art! You guys are amazing! And thank you to Omizu for stepping into a toga and playing muse for a day. You are one fantastic lady.**

**Also, my sincerest apologies to everyone who has been waiting so patiently for this chapter. For some reason, it just really did NOT want to be written. I'm not entirely happy with how it's turned out, but I'm sick of fighting with it. Thanks again to everyone for waiting!**

* * *

Most days, Sakura was very good at not watching the clock. Today though, it was all she could focus on.

The medical reports she was supposed to be sorting through had remained untouched for the last five minutes as she anxiously watched the second hand make its circuit. It was just her, Kotetsu and Izumo in the outer office, and for once the two of them were obediently hunched over their own work. She was grateful that they were too preoccupied to notice she wasn't working, and even more so that Tsunade's office door was closed. It was a mixed blessing though. She'd wanted to try and talk with her mentor about the bet _before_ seeing Kakashi tonight, but the opportunity simply hadn't presented itself. If Tsunade wasn't busy holding meetings, Shizune was in there dropping stacks of paperwork on her desk. The hectic pace was definitely wearing on the Hokage's patience, and Sakura didn't want to push it further by interrupting with a personal matter.

Still, she'd hoped to have _some _sort of decision made before going over to Kakashi's for dinner … and possibly a bit more.

Sakura shivered and bit her lower lip as memories from the night before spun through her head again. Just thinking about the heat of his mouth and the firm, confident feel of his hands on her was enough to set her tingling with desire. She was glad she'd decided for a bra with thicker padding. Not only was it a vain attempt at creating more cleavage than she actually it, it also hid the fact that her nipples were tight. Her mind flashed to how it had felt to have his hand shoved down her top, which in turn made her fidget in her chair as heat started pooling in her lower stomach.

As soon as the clock hand clicked to five, Sakura grabbed the duffle bag under her desk and bolted for the door. "Bye, have a goodnight!" she called hastily over her shoulder as she left her coworkers blinking in surprise after her. It was rude of her, but she didn't have a moment to waste. Kakashi was going to be waiting for her outside.

She didn't bother trying to catch the elevator; a line was already starting to form outside the doors. Instead, she hurried down the stairs to the main floor of the administration building. Fortunately, today hadn't been a hospital day. Trying to scrape blood out from underneath her nails took forever and she didn't have time for a shower. She stepped out into the main hall and made her way quickly to the bathroom to try and beat the imminent rush.

Luck was with her today. As soon as she locked the only available stall behind her, the bathroom door pushed open and a crowd of women looking to freshen up came in. Sakura smirked at the irritated groans and mumblings from the waiting women as she pulled off her work gear and put on her date clothes. Tonight, she'd opted for something a bit more casual than what she usually wore out with Kakashi; just a simple white skirt with a red top. At the time she'd picked it out of her wardrobe, she'd thought it was cute, but now that she was slipping it on … maybe it was a bit _too_ plain.

Well, it was too late now. She didn't have nearly enough time to run home and find something a little sexier. Letting out a resigned sigh, Sakura finished getting changed and opened the stall door, letting out a startled squawk as another woman practically shoved her out of the way. There were at least twenty other women crammed into the tiny bathroom, all of them waiting with varying degrees of irritation for others to finish up. Sakura sighed again and began squeezing her way out of the crowded space. So much for touching up her makeup.

She hurried out of the administration building, her heart beating excitedly as she took the steps two at a time. Her eyes swept over the people occupying the small courtyard in front of the building, searching for a familiar masked face.

It didn't take long for her to figure out that Kakashi wasn't there. Even though it didn't surprise her that he was running late, she still couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She'd been thinking about this moment all day: her rushing down the steps of the admin building with an artful breeze blowing her tresses, him waiting at the bottom with a warm look in his eye. And he would lean down so that their lips were almost touching and he'd whisper—

"Yo."

Sakura snapped out of her daydream and it took her a moment before she realized the greeting was coming from near her feet. Peering downward, her brow pinched when she saw who was staring up at her. "Pakkun? What are you doing here?"

"Kakashi sent me. Said to tell ya that he got tied up and asked me to show ya back to th' apartment."

"By tied up, do you mean figuratively or literally?" she asked. She couldn't imagine Kakashi allowing someone to string him up, but then one could never tell when it was him.

Pakkun blinked slowly and looked as if he might not answer her, but then he let out a snorting breath and said, "He was cookin' somethin' when I left. Smelled pretty good, too."

A warm sensation swept over her, prompting a smile to twitch at her lips. "He's cooking me dinner?" she repeated softly. He'd cooked for her before, but this was different. This was an _actual _dinner, not just glorified camping food. It was a very sweet thing for him to be cooking for her after a long day of work. Or maybe he just didn't want to risk her offering to cook for him again.

The pug gave his chin an idle scratch before flicking his tongue across his flat nose. "Who knows? He could be cookin' for me."

Sakura made a face and nudged him gently with her foot. "You shouldn't eat people food anyway. It's bad for you."

"If it's so bad, then why do people eat people food?" he returned drolly, wasting no time in jumping into her arms when she bent over to pick him up.

Laughing as she tucked the surprisingly heavy dog to her chest, she replied, "You know, that's a good point. I just hear Shizune saying that to Tonton a lot, so I thought maybe there was something in human food that wasn't good for animals."

Pakkun snorted against her shoulder and shifted himself into a more comfortable position in her arms. "Ever look at th' ingredients in pet food?"

"No." She'd never had a pet before, not even a fish. Her mom had said that between her studying, training, and helping out around the house, she didn't have time for an animal.

"Well, it's th' same stuff as people food, just dehydrated an' crunchier. It's got chicken an' beef an' what's s'posed to be veggies but probably ain't… Tastes kinda like those field ration packs ya get for missions."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Ew." The field rations were one step up the culinary ladder from suicide pills in her opinion.

"Yup," the pug agreed grimly. "Now imagine gettin' fed two bowls a' that stuff a day an' ya know why I'd rather eat people food."

She squeezed him a little closer to her chest and said, "I promise to make him give you leftovers."

"I ever tell ya you're my favorite human?"

"Even over Kakashi?" she giggled, giving his ear a good scratch.

Pakkun grunted and leaned into her ministrations eagerly. "Right now, yeah. Can ya scratch a little lower? There's a spot on my chin I can't – oh, yeah! That's th' spot. Hey, turn left here."

Sakura did as she was instructed, grinning when the dog's leg began to spasm. "Don't squirm too much or I might drop you."

"Can't help it. Feels good," he groaned.

He didn't protest when she rolled him onto his back, cradling him like a baby in her arms, to start in on his chest and stomach. "Are you gonna be able to give me directions still?" she teased as his eyes drifted closed.

"Just keep goin' straight until ya come to an old lookin' apartment building with a couple bars across th' street. It'll be on your right."

"How far?"

"'Bout four blocks."

She nodded, even though he couldn't see it, and continued on as directed. The entire time they walked, she continued rubbing his stomach, using just a tiny bit of chakra to relax him further. Pakkun was as limp as a rag doll in her arms, his jowls flapping back and his pink tongue poking out between uneven teeth as his head lolled across her arm. Passersby kept shooting the blissed-out dog concerned look, which made her snicker quietly.

It wasn't until Pakkun suddenly rolled upright and said, "This is it," that she looked at the area they were in … and immediately recognized the building he'd led her to.

She suspected it at dinner when Genma had mentioned plumbing repairs, but it was still a little surprising to know that she'd been just a few apartments away from Kakashi's last night.

The surrounding area was in one of the older portions of the village, as was evident by worn brick-and-woodwork adorning the buildings. Across the street, heavy bass music pounded from the dance club everyone had gone to last night. Attached to it was a seedy looking bar whose front door showed signs of being attacked recently; the metal bars that ran the length of the glass were irreparably bent.

Yet, despite the less than polished demeanor … it didn't feel unsafe. In fact, she'd almost go so far as to say it felt cozy, like a pair of well worn sweatpants. It was exactly the sort of place she could see Kakashi being drawn to.

Sakura opened the door to the main entrance, pausing just long enough to set Pakkun down. He trotted ahead of her, his claws clicking on the chipped tile floor with every step. She followed behind as he started climbing the stairs toward the top. It wouldn't have surprised her in the least to discover that not only did Kakashi live in the same building as Shizune and Genma but that he shared the same floor.

As it turned out, he didn't; he lived on the floor below them. She could just make out the muffled sound of music playing overhead from their apartment, as well as the occasional footsteps. A television blared from further down the hall and somewhere below a baby was screaming shrilly. The building obviously predated any soundproofing conditions.

Pakkun paused outside a door that looked to have been rather heavily abused over the years. The former tenant also appeared to have been an optimist; there was a faded sticker of a cartoon sun right underneath the peephole with the slogan 'have a sunshiny day' arcing over the top of it. Definitely not something Kakashi would have, unless it was meant to be a joke. More than likely, it'd been there since he moved in and he was just too lazy to scrub it off.

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home," the pug announced. "Guess I'll be goin' now. Nice seein' you again, Sakura-chan."

"You're not going to say goodbye to Kakashi?" she asked.

The small dog made a coughing sound and glanced away from her. "I would, but Kakashi said none of us were allowed over while you were here. An' he said it in _that_ voice."

"What voice?"

"Th' one that means he won't let us sleep on th' bed an' couch if we don't listen. I like you, Sakura-chan, but I like havin' something soft to sleep on even better."

She wasn't sure she liked ranking lower than a piece of furniture, but she nodded anyway and bent down to give his head a final pat. "Alright, that's fine. See you later, Pakkun."

"G'night, Sakura-chan." A cloud of grayish blue smoke burst around her ankles and Pakkun disappeared.

Sakura watched the smoke curl and spread across the hallway for a moment as she focused on trying to remain calm. Try as she might, she couldn't help the feeling of excitement coursing through her. This was Kakashi's apartment. She was about to see his personal space.

And she was about to be _alone_ with him in his personal space. No roommates coming home early. No dogs popping in. No interruptions. It would be just the two of them all night.

Part of her was giddy with anticipation and was more than happy to supply a few fantasies as to what they could do with their uninterrupted time together. Another part of her though was also rather nervous. This was the first time she would ever be alone with a man she was interested in. How far would they go? Was she ready if things _did_ go all the way? She knew that if the moment came up and she decided she wasn't ready to take things there that Kakashi would respect her decision. Knowing that helped ease some of her trepidation, but it didn't cure it all.

There was also the fact that this would be the perfect opportunity to steal his books. She couldn't guarantee that she'd ever get a chance like this again. Maybe she should take advantage of it now, just in case this was a legitimate test from Tsunade, and then try to contrive a way of getting the books back to him at a later date.

But she couldn't do any of that standing outside the door. Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before knocking on the door.

It felt like forever before the handle rattled and the door was actually _lifted_ a bit before it swung open. As with every other time she'd seen Kakashi's bare face, her breath caught and a heady rush washed over her. His lips quirked at the corners, one side lifting slightly higher than the other, and she suddenly forgot how to speak.

It had to violate some law, whether natural or cosmic, to be _that_ handsome. It just had to be.

Kakashi lifted a brow and glanced pointedly at the space between him and the doorframe. "You _can_ come in, you know," he commented, a full out grin spreading across his lips when she blushed. A quiet snicker followed it as the blush deepened.

"I know," she muttered as she hurried by him, trying to ignore the brief brush of her shoulder against his. "But it's polite to wait for the host to invite you in."

"Ah. In that case, you're given blanket approval to enter my apartment whenever I open the door for you."

Sakura noted the careful way he'd phrased the permissive statement and tossed him a flirty smile. "Oh, so you don't want to come home one day and find me lounging on your sofa in a yukata?" she teased, giggling when his back stiffened.

"You, uh … noticed that, huh?" There was no mistaking the uncomfortable edge in his voice, but she was merciless. It was about time someone made him squirm a bit – and not in the good sense either.

"Oooh, yeah," she continued, her eyes scanning around his tiny apartment curiously. "I was afraid your eyes were gonna fall out of your face – which is why I offered to change. You can't be Sharingan Kakashi without a sharingan, now can you?"

"No, I don't suppose that's possible," he grunted. She jumped at the sound of the deadbolt grating into place and her heart jackhammered sharply in her chest. "But at least I wasn't drooling like a water buffalo."

Sakura whipped around at that, an indignant scowl on her face. "Are you comparing yourself to the water buffalo or me?" she demanded skeptically. With the way he phrased it, it was hard to tell. Typical Hatake Kakashi … always speaking in vagaries.

All she got in response was an inscrutable little smile as he walked into the kitchen. "Dinner won't be ready for another six minutes. Want something to drink?"

And, as was typical with him, he wasn't going to bother explaining what he meant either. Letting out a defeated sigh, Sakura shook her head and muttered, "I'm fine, thanks." A whiff of something delicious reached her nose, causing her to turn back toward the kitchen in interest. "Need a hand?"

"Nope, I've got it," he replied cheerfully. "Just sit down. Or stay standing. Whatever makes you comfortable."

She rolled her eyes and decided to poke around his apartment a little instead. Who knew when she would ever get an opportunity like this again?

His place was a lot smaller than Genma and Shizune's, consisting mostly of one central room with what appeared to be two much smaller ones attached. The main room served as three in one: living room, dining room, and kitchen. There was no wall to separate the kitchen from the sitting area, the dated tile giving way to carpet that was starting to show wear spots in the weaving. The coffee table showed a few water marks from where glasses had been set on it without any coasters and the couch actually looked like it doubled as a futon.

In terms of decorating, Kakashi's apartment was minimal at best. He didn't have any pictures hanging on the walls (not that he had any walls available; three were completely shrouded by bookcases), the windows were covered in nondescript blinds, and all the colors were muted and neutral. The only bits of finery were the sleek looking ninjato and tanto careful set on a rack in one of the bookcases, and even then she was certain they were more than just decorations. He wasn't the sort to have anything but fully functional weapons around the house, but she found it curious those two blades would be displayed like that.

"What are these?" she asked, moving closer to get a look at the weapons. The saya for each were simple but very elegant and contrasted each other perfectly. The ninjato had a darker case to it, made from a highly polished wood that wasn't quite black, whereas the smaller tanto was white with a faintly green undertone. There were no embellishments beyond the glossy veneer, save for the tsuba on the ninjato; she could just barely make out a swirling cloud motif in the worn silver.

"Ah … those are special," Kakashi answered from the kitchen.

There was a blandness to the words that made her glance it him. "I gathered that. Are they family heirlooms?"

"In a manner of speaking."

For some reason, it'd never really occurred to her that Kakashi might have family. Maybe it was just that before she'd gotten to know him he'd seemed so … untouchable. Or perhaps a better word was detached? Whatever it was, she'd never considered that he might have living relatives. Hatake _was_ listed as a clan name in the Konoha records, and it took more than just one person to constitute a clan.

However … she could tell from his tone that this was an area he'd rather not talk about, so she set her questions aside and remarked, "They're very beautiful."

"Thank you." There was a subtle weight to his voice that said his thanks extended beyond the compliment.

A pleased flush colored her cheeks as she made her way over to the couch and took a seat, letting her bag drop to the floor. There was a shelf beneath the table that had stuff stacked on it and she leaned forward to investigate. Junk mail, unopened envelopes, unfiled mission reports, the occasional magazine … and all three _Icha Icha _books.

Her eyes nearly bugged from her head at the sight of those volumes stuffed in with the garbage. Sakura quickly looked up to see if Kakashi had noticed she was poking around and let out a relieved breath when she saw he was too preoccupied with the rice cooker.

This was it. This was her chance to snatch the books from him and seal the deal. Her bag was right there; she could stick them inside and he'd be none the wiser.

She reached out slowly but stopped just as her fingers brushed the binding of the first one. Sakura licked her lips as her heart and brain warred with each other. She would be beyond foolish not to take advantage of such a perfect moment, and if she didn't act quickly there was a chance Kakashi would find her out. But when she thought about how much of a betrayal of trust this was … how it would ultimately hurt him … she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Besides, she hadn't spoken with Tsunade yet. It could wait.

Then again, maybe it couldn't. There was guarantee that she would ever have an opportunity like this again. It would be best to take them now and try to return them at a later date than pass up what could be her only chance. Her hand closed around the first book and pulled it free.

"So, why did you do it?" she queried, speaking in order to cover up the sound of her bag rustling as well as to keep him from getting suspicious. One by one, she snuck the books into her bag, ignoring how damp her palms had gotten in the process. Now all she had to do was henge a few bills to look like the books and he wouldn't notice a thing.

"I do a lot of things, Sakura. You're going to have to be more specific," he answered as he opened the stove and pulled out a small baking dish. She quickly formed the seals, pausing on the last one so as to time the popping sound of the jutsu taking affect with the bang of the oven closing. The door closed, her fingers moved … and suddenly a small selection of magazines took on the shape of the _Icha Icha _series.

Sakura stole another glance at the kitchen and relief swept over her when she saw that Kakashi was busy setting up the plates. She let out the breath she'd been holding for what felt like forever and flexed her trembling fingers a few times to try and steady them.

She'd done it. She'd not only achieved her mission but she'd also successfully pulled one over on the infamous Copy Ninja. It was so amazing that she hardly dared to believe it. She, Haruno Sakura, had just stolen Hatake Kakashi's prized _Icha Icha _books from right under his very nose. It was something any ninja would be proud of, and yet….

And yet all she felt was guilt.

Well, it wasn't like she had much of a choice, right? Failing one of Tsunade's tests would be beyond embarrassing. Besides, she didn't even know if she _was_ going to hand the books over. It was stupid to feel guilty when, technically, she hadn't done anything wrong yet. But if she didn't get control of herself right now, Kakashi was bound to notice something was wrong and become suspicious. She _had _to get a grip.

Sakura breathed in deeply and released it slowly. She repeated the pattern a few times until her heart began to steady out and her hands weren't quaking as badly. By the time Kakashi came into the living room with the plates, she was sitting on the couch as if nothing had happened.

"Why did you let Ino see your face last night?" she clarified, smiling as she took the plate he handed to her. At the time it'd happened she hadn't thought anything of it, but as she'd replayed the evening prior in her head over and over throughout the day, she'd realized he could have very easily prevented it from happening.

Kakashi gave an embarrassed chuckle as he sat down next to her. His thigh brushed hers in the process, causing her to shiver. "You noticed that too, did you? You're very observant."

"Thank you. Now tell me why."

"Misdirection."

"Huh?"

"When you don't want someone to notice something, you redirect their attention elsewhere," he explained.

Her brow pinched in confusion. "But that doesn't make sense. What didn't you want Ino to – oh."

Even without the pointed glance he shot her way, she knew exactly what he'd been trying to hide: a very noticeable erection. Heat flared across her face and she had to duck her gaze from his. "You couldn't have, um … used a transport jutsu?" she asked, clearing her throat when the words came out raspy.

Kakashi took a bite of food and shook his head. "No good," he said around a mouthful of rice and chicken. "She already knew I was there, so making a quick escape would have looked suspicious."

Sakura nodded and picked up her chopsticks. "That makes sense, I guess," she agreed as she popped a piece of chicken in her mouth. "It was the first time that Pig was at a … loss … this is really good!"

He arched a brow at her as she quickly took another bite. "Don't sound so surprised. I _can _cook when the mood hits me."

"Yeah, but there's a difference between cooking to survive and cooking like this. Wow … what is it?"

A happy smile came to his features, one she knew from past experience was blatantly false. "I'm so glad you asked. It's lemongrass chicken."

Sakura stopped with her next bite halfway to her parted lips and gave him a sour glare. That was the same dish she'd tried (and failed) to make for him a while back. "Haha, so funny," she said sarcastically, ignoring his quiet chuckle. "You've been waiting to do this for a while now, haven't you?"

"Maybe. It sounded tasty."

She sighed dismally at her plate of very delicious food. "Too bad it didn't turn out that way though."

"If it makes you feel any better … it wasn't your fault."

She peered at him suspiciously, her fingers tightening on the chopsticks. "Oh?"

Kakashi cleared his throat lightly and avoided her gaze. "There's a very good chance that while you were preoccupied, my hand might have accidentally turned up the heat on your oven."

Sakura's jaw dropped – as did her chopsticks. Fortunately, he was quick enough to catch them before they hit the floor. When he handed them back to her, she made no move to accept them. She was too busy gaping at him in astonishment.

Sighing heavily, Kakashi set the chopsticks on the edge of her plate and said, "The dress sounded too good to be true."

Maybe the shock that she very well _might_ have pulled off the perfect dinner until he interfered was still pounding her brain, but it sounded like he… "I'm sorry, but are you saying that you sabotaged my dinner – one I'd been making in an attempt to impress you – just to get me in a dress you would have seen eventually?"

Okay, so the last part was a lie. Never in a million years would she have worn only a shirt in public if she'd had a choice. But desperate times called for desperate matters. He just didn't need to know that.

He gave the barest of squirms and a smile tugged at her lips when she noticed the faintest trace of color to his cheeks. "Maybe," he admitted slowly.

'Maybe' in Hatake-nese was as good as a 'yes' from a more normal person. Sakura flopped back against the couch, her lips parting in surprise at his little admission, and shook her head. She didn't know if she wanted to shove him over the back of the couch or down onto it so she could kiss him silent.

He seemed to sense her indecision over his physical wellbeing because he took the chance to edge closer to her. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and pretended the way his fingers were combing through her hair didn't feel so nice. "There's still some chicken left in the pan, if you want retribution," he offered, feigning a solicitous mien.

Sakura quickly bit back the smile that was threatening to break loose, but she couldn't quite keep the amusement from her voice as she muttered, "What, stick it back in the oven and crank it up really high?"

She was done for when he beamed at her, his eyes creasing cheerfully. It was a completely different expression without the mask, one she couldn't help reciprocating. "If that'll make you feel better, then yes."

Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head. "No, that's okay. It'd be a shame to waste good food." And to demonstrate her good faith, she took another bite and gave an exaggerated moan to show how good it was, which earned a quiet chuckle from him.

"You're so strange," he teased, giving her hair a light ruffle before returning to his own dinner.

"You've no right to accuse anyone of being strange," she retorted, though the words were muffled around a chunk of chicken. "You almost burnt down my kitchen."

"Hm? Sorry, I couldn't understand you."

Sakura snickered and gave his side a playful nudge. "You're strange _and _a jerk."

Kakashi glanced at her before remarking dryly, "You have such a sweet tongue."

"Well, you certainly don't seem to mind it," she shot back, flashing him a wide grin. This was probably the thing she was going to miss the most: sitting with him, exchanging friendly banter while enjoying his company. It made her heart ache to think it would all end once she turned those books in.

All thoughts about the future ceased to exist when he looked at her fully. The heat she'd seen before was back in his eye, darkening the color to the hue of wet slate. Her breath caught at the spark she now knew was desire that flickered through his gaze as he replied softly, "No, I don't mind at all."

The minute she realized the other implication behind his words, her cheeks flared up brightly and she turned away. "Pervert," she mumbled while fighting down the warmth that was trying to thread its way through her body. "It's the lip gloss."

Kakashi shrugged indifferently, but there was a quirk to his lips that suggested he was anything but. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not sweet at all."

She pouted and pointed her chopsticks at him like she meant to pinch him any minute. "Better watch it. I could really ruin your reputation of being a hard ass if I wanted to."

"Of course, I don't really subscribe to that theory," he corrected quickly, much to her amusement. She laughed, which in turn brought out a smile from him.

They finished dinner in relative peace, with only the occasional teasing comment or idle question to break the routine. It was probably one of the most pleasant evenings Sakura had ever had. Kakashi, when he wasn't picking on her, had a very relaxing aura to him that made being with him enjoyable. He didn't let many people in, and she couldn't help but to feel more than a little pleased that he was comfortable enough around her to allow this.

But all of that would be lost if she handed in those books.

Sakura quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. It was depressing and she didn't want Kakashi catching on that something was wrong. She smiled when he reached to take her empty plate. "So you cook dinner _and_ you do the dishes? Who knew Copy Ninja Kakashi was so domesticated?" she teased, grinning when he cocked a brow in her direction.

Only quick reflexes and an easy toss from him saved her from catching a towel to the face. Sakura glowered from Kakashi to the cloth and back again.

"And for that, you get to help dry and put away," he replied cheerfully.

"It's rude making your guests do the housework."

"Then consider this my present." Kakashi was too preoccupied filling the sink to notice she was gaping slack-jawed at his back.

"What present? I don't owe you a present!" she demanded, even as she stood up and went into the tiny kitchen area anyway. Sakura stood by as he pulled down a small straining rack that had been fixed to the wall before rolling back his sleeves and plunging his hands into the soapy water.

"Didn't you say it's polite to bring a present when going over to someone else's house?"

Oh, that. Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "That doesn't apply to you. It's only when you're going over to someone's house for dinner."

Kakashi gave a pointed look to the plates he was scrubbing.

"And if it's a friend's house," she amended. She still began drying off the dishes as they came up, setting them aside on what little counter space there was for the time being.

"Oh, I see," he drawled, nodding his head slowly. "I'm not a friend." He paused in the middle of swiping a pot clean, his eye narrowing thoughtfully. "Actually, that hurts my feelings. How come I'm not a friend?"

Sakura let out an irritated huff. "Because you're not, okay?"

"Then what am I?"

"You're—" She cut herself off quickly before the word 'boyfriend' could leave her lips.

Kakashi arched a brow as he shut off the sink. "I'm … what?" he pressed, taking the towel from her to dry his hands.

"You know," she mumbled, trying not to notice that they were standing much closer than was absolutely necessary for cleaning dishes. She couldn't quite get her eyes to rise above his kneecaps and her cheeks were burning hot as she shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

He braced a hand along the edge of the sink, the other one coming to rest on his hip as he took a half step closer. "No, I don't," he insisted, his voice adopting the firm tone she was used to hearing as a genin in his charge. "What am I, Sakura?"

She was about to tell him he was being an ignorant jerk, but just as her lips parted to deliver the blow she met his gaze … and what she saw knocked the words right out of her.

It wasn't so much something that he was revealing as it was something he was holding back. His eye had that careful, disinterested look in it that she recognized now as one of many defense mechanisms he'd built up over the years. He was trying to hide his thoughts from her, which said that her answer probably had more importance than he wanted to let on. It took her a few seconds longer of repeating his question over and over in her head before she realized what was underneath.

_What am I __**to you**__, Sakura?_ – That was what he'd really asked. He was asking, without directly doing so, what their status was. It was sweet and touching and made her warm all over, and it was too much for her to resist.

To hell with waiting until she spoke with Tsunade; she was with Kakashi _now._

Keeping her eyes opened and locked on his, Sakura stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips softly across his. He remained still, but there was a slight hitch in his breath that spoke volumes. She drew back, just enough so she could whisper, "You know," before pressing her mouth to his again.

It took a few more pecks before he responded to her, tilting his head for a better angle as he slid a hand along the curving of her side and hip. Sakura moved closer when he tugged, slipping an arm around his neck and pressing herself to the firm warmth of his body. She sucked his lower lip between her teeth, heard him moan softly as she released it. The moan came again a split second later as she stroked the tip of her tongue over his lips and shortly after that his mouth opened, allowing her tongue to slip inside and tap his lightly.

His arms were suddenly around her, pulling her tightly to him as his hands roamed across her back and hips. Sakura groaned into his mouth, arching upward to rub herself against his chest. She locked both arms around his neck, using his strong frame as leverage to pull herself closer. He took it one step further by bending slightly so as to grip her rear and lift her off the ground.

The edge of the narrow counter hit the back of her thighs as he sat her down, his hands running up and down her spread legs firmly as the kiss became more heated. Her head whacked into one of the cabinets hard, causing their teeth to click, but otherwise it did little to disrupt them. She broke away from his lips and began kissing her way along his jaw, shivering at the roughness of facial stubble across her mouth. Kakashi sucked in a sharp, hissing breath when she gave his earlobe a light nip and tilted his head back to give her better access to his throat.

Sakura obliged, tugging the high collar of his shirt down with one hand so as to get to his flesh. His skin was soft beneath her lips, and the feel of his pulse pounding against her tongue made the throbbing between her legs intensify. She wanted more of his skin – to taste and touch more of him. Her hands slid down his chest and his joined as she began pulling his shirt up. The kiss broke as he pulled the dark fabric over his head and let it fall to the floor of the kitchen, but then his mouth was back on hers and moving insistently.

The minute her palms met his bare chest, she drew back in awe. Her eyes drifted lower, watching her fingers explore his flesh. If possible, he was even more beautiful without clothing. His skin was pale and smooth, sleek in the way it contoured his muscles. The only breaks to that perfection were the faint dusting of hair and the occasional scar. One in particular fascinated her, curving across his side and just barely skirting around his belly button. Her mouth went dry as her gaze roved lower, following the thin line of hair that disappeared beneath his pants.

Last night, she'd thought he was big. But in the dim light of the kitchen, that bulge in the front of his pants almost seemed _too _big.

"Sakura?"

She looked up at the sound of her name and smiled when she noted the concerned knit to his brow. As if to further demonstrate that there was absolutely nothing wrong, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants and pulled him toward her until their hips were flush together. He gasped, his fingers flexing hard against her thighs, as their bodies made intimate contact. His eyes closed tightly and she took advantage of his parted lips to kiss him again.

Kakashi groaned unrestrained as he lifted her legs higher, wrapping them around his waist. Her head hit the cabinet again as he forced her back, a gasp breaking from her lips when he ducked his head and began laying hot, heavy kisses all along her neck. He rocked his hips into hers and the resulting friction left her clinging breathlessly to his shoulders. Spots ate at her vision and the pleasure was so intense that it took over, made her meet his thrusts eagerly. She panted in his ear, murmured words she couldn't decipher, and quickly planted a hand behind herself when he adjusted the angle of her hips on the counter.

Unfortunately, her hand knocked into the dishes she'd set aside and sent them falling to the floor.

Glass shattered, startling both of them. Sakura's eyes widened in horror at the jumbled shards and she quickly slid forward to get down, but Kakashi didn't budge. His lack of movement made her hips press even tighter to his, causing her to freeze as her mouth fell open in a silent gasp of pleasure. The heat between her legs flared hotter and for a moment it was all she could do to draw a breath. Her eyes squeezed shut and her entire body trembled with barely controlled need.

She felt his breath warm the side of her neck as his hands tightened on her thighs, holding her in place as he ground himself against her again. "Leave it," he insisted, his voice deeper than she was used to and a little ragged sound.

It took her a couple tries before she was able to lick her dry lips and whisper, "But, Kakashi – ah!"

Words and thoughts that they should clean up the mess ceased to exist when his mouth attacked her throat once more. Sakura tipped her head back, arching her neck as her fingers tangled in his hair, trying to drag him impossibly closer. She rocked her hips into his again, matching his rhythm, and gave in to the raging pleasure he turned loose on her. Her hands scrabbled across his back, her nails biting into his slick skin as she curled herself around him, smothering her panting gasps into his shoulder.

Kakashi's hands moved up her thighs, one slipping beneath her skirt while the other roamed higher to slip beneath the hem of her shirt. She felt the rough pads of his fingers brush up her side, across her ribs … and then he was cupping her breast in his palm, kneading her flesh in such a way that it made her jerk hard against him.

His lips closed over her earlobe, followed by a slight nip of his teeth and his voice murmuring, "What do you want?"

Some of the haziness cleared from her mind at the question, but it was still difficult to think clearly when he was pressing soft kisses to her jaw and lips and with his hand still massaging her breast. It was a good question: what _did _she want? She knew what her body wanted, but what about her head? And, more importantly, her heart?

"_You already know the answer to that. Why else did you come here?_" a voice inside her head demanded impatiently.

Sakura's eyes opened slowly. That was a good point. If she'd truly been uncertain, then she wouldn't have agreed to coming over. She would have suggested they go out or maybe that he come over to her place instead. As much as her brain argued with her that this wasn't right … her heart was much stronger. And it reminded her that she wanted _him_ – just as she had the night before.

She pushed away from him, just enough to meet his gaze. Kakashi wasn't trying to hide anything from her; the need burning through his eyes was more than evident and echoed in the hot, shaking breaths that fanned across her lips. She dusted her lips across his, too light to be called a kiss, and whispered into his mouth, "I want you."

Kakashi groaned brokenly and moved to kiss her full on, but she quickly cupped a hand to his jaw, stopping him short.

"But not in the kitchen."

His eyes widened.

Smiling at his reaction, Sakura nudged his hip with her knee. "Care to move?"

He took a step back, though his expression said he was still numb with shock. Sakura slid down off the counter, being mindful of the broken glass near her bare feet, and moved the hand he still had under her shirt down so that it fit the curve of her waist. She leaned forward, watching him the entire time, and placed a gentle kiss to his sternum. Another one followed a little higher, right below his clavicle, and then another in the hollow above.

By the time she was kissing her way along his shoulder, he was focused again on what they were doing. His hands caressed slowly up and down her back, his fingers catching teasingly in the strap to her bra, as he turned his face toward hers for a kiss.

This time when their mouths met, it was different. The need was still there, but the play of his lips on hers was softer, more lingering. He'd never kissed her like that before, and it did more to warm her insides than all the hard, passionate kisses from before. Their breaths mingled, his sigh blending with her quiet moan as their hands continued exploring the other in slow, long strokes. She traced her fingers over scar lines and muscles, he ran a thumb along her hip bone languidly. She ran her palms up his chest until her nails grazed over his flat nipples, he let his hand slip down beneath her skirt to tease the hem of her panties.

"Say it again," he murmured against her mouth as she began walking them backward out of the kitchen.

She smiled as he took hold of hips to guide her, and it widened when he kissed the corner of her mouth sweetly. "I want you," she repeated, and maybe it was just her but the words sounded more confident the second time around.

They were in the tiny living room again and moving toward one of the doors she'd noticed earlier. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a deeper kiss. His tongue flicked along her lips lightly before slipping between to caress hers. The rhythm was slow, sensual, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way for very long; she could practically taste the impatience on his tongue as it stroked hotly against hers.

Sakura placed a hand to his chest, stopping him just as he pushed the door open on the darkened room. Cool air hit her back, causing her skin to prickle in response. Kakashi stopped, withdrawing to give her a questioning look. "What about you?" she asked. "What do _you _want?"

There wasn't so much as a split second of hesitation between the time she finished asking and when he answered, "I want you."

She bit her lower lip to keep from smiling and caressed his chest. "Say it again."

Kakashi snorted and shook his head, but a little lopsided smile tugged at his lips and he did as she requested anyway. "I want you."

Her grin was swallowed up by another, more heated kiss as she finally let her hand slip down to his hip. She backed into the room, and he was right with her. There was a soft click and then the shadows faded under the dull glow of a single, heavily tinted light bulb. It was far from the atmospheric lighting she'd always imagined for her first time, but then again nothing about this was quite how she'd envisioned it – especially not the man.

The kiss remained uninterrupted as she backed toward the narrow bed situated beneath the room's only window. Everything was stained a yellow-brown color from the light, giving it a dingy appearance. The space was barely big enough for what little was in there plus the two of them, but it hardly mattered at all when he was kissing her so deliciously.

He stopped her just as the back of her knees met the mattress and pulled away from the kiss to give her a long look. The heat in his gaze was indescribable, but there was still a trace of control to him that made itself known in the careful caress of his hands across her back.

"How far?" he asked, even as he gripped her rear to pull her closer.

Sakura's answer was to pull her shirt up and off, tossing it onto the worn floorboards. She couldn't help the blush that tinted her cheeks, even if she _was _the one to initiate such a bold action. This was the first time she'd ever been shirtless in front of a man … and she was beginning to wish she'd chosen another bra besides the white with pink ribbon trim.

If Kakashi thought her choice in lingerie was a bit juvenile, it didn't show. He was staring very fixedly at her chest, his eyes following every intake and release of breath that she took eagerly. Feeling emboldened by his obvious appreciation, she took one of his wrists and used it to gently steer his hand upward across her ribs until he was cupping her breast once again. She bit her lower lip to keep from moaning at the press of his palm, the simple cotton fabric serving to further stimulate her sensitive flesh.

As with his answer to her earlier, there wasn't a trace of hesitation in him as he stroked his thumb over her nipple, drawing a gasp from her as electric-like sensations seared through her. She closed her eyes, shivering as he repeated the movement again. It was so strange … she'd touched herself just like this the night before, but it didn't feel nearly as good as it did right now. Maybe all that porn he read had absorbed into his skin and was being released – like pheromones or something.

Her eyes opened languidly when his fingers moved upward, following the curve of her bra to the pink strap. He plucked at it questioningly, and in response she reached behind and undid the clasp with shaking fingers. She heard him groan when the garment loosened and slid down her arms, catching at her elbows briefly before she shook it loose. It was a little chilly in his room, which made her pale pink nipples tighten further.

She pressed herself to him eagerly, her arms looping around his neck in order to mould herself more firmly to his front. A small hum of pleasure escaped her at the feel of his body against hers: the firm play of muscle, the soft give of flesh, the courser texture of hair, the hard, hot feel of his erection against her stomach. It made her insides flutter with excitement, sent a needing pulse between her legs.

Sakura leaned up and kissed him before she sat back onto the bed, smiling up at him. She caught his hand in hers and scooted backward across the lumpy mattress in what she hoped was with sensual grace. The effect was ruined, however, by the unexpected dip in the foam and the sharp prick of a spring poking into her hip.

"Ouch," she hissed, jerking away from the area.

Kakashi quickly reached beyond her for a pillow and stuffed it in the dent. "Sorry. I need a new mattress," he mumbled, a touch of color darkening his cheeks.

She smiled as she cautiously tested out his patch job and said, "It's okay." And it _was_ okay, at least for now. The pillow protected her from getting scratched up, though it didn't do much to make the bed more comfortable. But for now it was the least of her concerns.

Her arms circled his neck as he ventured closer, wedging one knee between her legs. Sakura gasped and quickly bit back what would have been a loud moan when his chest met hers. The feel of warm, soft skin against her own was exquisite, and the rougher feel of his hair brushing across her sensitive nipples set fire to her nerves. There was a moment where all they did was stay like that, eyes locked and lips just the barest of breaths away … and then his knee pressed up against her sex.

Sakura let out a startled cry and it didn't take long for her body to catch the rhythm he was setting. His breaths came in ragged pants with the occasional moan mingled in as their hips rolled and rocked together. She clung to him tightly, her gasps and cries smothered against his neck as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her nails dug into his back and shoulders as his hands roamed across her body in firm movements.

Everything he did felt so amazing, left her reeling with delight and anxious for more. There was no room for doubt or uncertainty, not he could make her feel this good. Things like 'consequences' were completely drowned out under the insurmountable pleasure whipping through her. His mouth was on her neck again, alternating between hard kisses and gentler laps of his tongue as he moved steadily lower. He sucked at her pulse, ran his tongue across her clavicle, his hands forcing her back into an arch as he went lower still.

The minute his mouth closed over a stiff nipple, Sakura cried out sharply, one hand flailing across the mattress over her head until it met the old metal bed frame. Her fingers quickly closed over it, holding on for dear life. Every swirl of his hot tongue across her skin, every sharp nip of his teeth, every gentle suck left her aching for the next. Her hips ground faster and harder against his, her fingers slipping along his sweat-slicked shoulders as she struggled to hold on. He released her nipple so as to give the other the same treatment, and the sudden rush of cold air across her wet flesh counteracted pleasurably to the heat of his mouth.

Kakashi gave her skirt a tug, groaning irritably around the nub of flesh between his lips when it wouldn't budge. He tried again, and when it still wouldn't move his eyes opened and he started to pull back. Sakura gasped and quickly threaded her fingers through his hair to keep him in place.

"There's a side zipper," she whispered, her voice throatier than she was used to hearing. And, just because she didn't trust him not to just tear the skirt off, she undid it herself.

The fabric was quickly kicked down around her ankles and his hands immediately fell to her thighs, stroking up and down her flesh repeatedly. Sakura moaned heavily, her head falling back as her eyes closed again. His hands felt so good on her skin. He wasn't even really _touching_ her yet and already she could feel the tightness inside her preparing to release.

And then one hand slipped between their bodies to cup her sex.

Sakura's entire body jerked and her mouth fell open in a silent cry. His fingers stroked along the seam of her panties again and if he hadn't been kissing her she was certain his neighbors would have heard her. Kakashi's tongue thrust between her lips over and over again, matching the movement of his fingers between her legs. His other hand massaged her breasts, switching between the two to roll and pinch her nipples in such a way that she felt it between her legs.

The pressure was building inside her, more swiftly and more intensely than last night. Her breaths puffed across his shoulder as she arched her back, pressing herself closer to his chest. His name fell from her lips, getting lost in the steady moans, sighs, and whimpers he drew from her. Pleasure lanced through her sharply with every stroke of his fingers against her … but it wasn't enough to send her over the edge.

Without any thought beyond relieving the aching pressure, Sakura panted in his ear, "Please … I need more."

Something pulled across her hips, biting hard into her skin. It felt a little like rope burn actually, and it wasn't until she heard something tear and felt the cold rush of air across her bare sex that she realized he'd just ripped her panties off.

An angry scowl twisted her lips as she smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"You could have just pulled them down, jerk," she grumbled, despite the fact her body was quivering with need. She wanted him to keep touching her, not rubbing his head like she'd clubbed him with a crowbar. It wasn't _that _hard a blow.

He placed a soothing kiss to the corner of her mouth as his hands _finally _returned to touching her. She moaned, turning her mouth into his as his palms fit along the curve of her rear. "I'll make it up to you," he muttered against her lips.

At first she thought he meant he was going to buy her a new pair of panties, and the idea of him purchasing underwear for her made her cheeks flare hotly. But when he braced his hands on the insides of her thighs and spread them wide enough to accommodate his hips, she realized exactly _how_ he planned to make it up to her. The blush darkened and spread further down her neck, but a hard pulse of need throbbed through her sex at the idea.

Kakashi very slowly settled himself between her spread legs, his eyes on her the entire time – watching her breasts rise and fall, watching her tongue lick across suddenly dry lips. He lowered himself down onto his forearms and her hands went to his shoulders, noting the tremor in his tightly corded muscles. He wasn't as in control as she'd thought he was, and the knowledge that she was the reason behind that spiked the passion higher.

But he was still wearing too much clothing for her taste.

Sakura leaned up and claimed his lips, swallowing the deep groan that vibrated through his chest, and slipped a hand between their bodies just as he rolled his hips into hers. Both of them broke apart with startled gasps when the movement ground her hand against their sexes. She shivered at the feel of her knuckles rubbing her clitoris and felt an answering shudder in him as his erection was forced into her palm. His eyes were glinting darkly in the dim lighting and were so filled with want that she had to look away. It was such a raw, naked emotion from someone who was normally so composed that it felt like a violation to witness it.

She licked her lips again before requesting hoarsely, "Um… Can you just … move back a little? I want … I'm trying to…."

Fortunately, Kakashi understood what she was attempting to say and lifted himself up just enough for her to reach his fly. Her fingers fumbled as she tried to undo the catch, equal parts nervous and eager, but he didn't try to help speed the process along. He let her do it and she was grateful for that. When she finally managed to get the zipper down, she wasted no time in slipping her hand inside.

She'd barely closed her hand around him, touching him through the soft cotton of his boxers, but he reacted as if she'd done much more. A sharp, quickly bitten off cry tore from his lips and his eyes squeezed shut tightly as if in pain. His hips jerked roughly, forcing her fingers to slide down his hot length. Sakura swallowed hard at the weight and feel of him in her hand and, remembering how he'd adjusted her grip last night, tightened her hold on him. She didn't need to do more than that; he was moving enough to do the rest.

He fell forward on top of her, his mouth kissing anywhere that he could reach: her shoulder, her neck, her jaw, her chin. Every intake was punctuated by another desperate groan as he skimmed a hand down the length of her body, pausing only once to pinch her nipple sharply. Sakura arched off the bed, rubbing her thigh over his hip. She was panting steadily now, as turned on by the feel of him pushing against her hand as she'd been by him touching her.

It was amazing to watch him come undone, to witness him surrendering to emotion. She loved feeling the desperation in his kiss, the demanding thrust of his hips, the careful caress of his fingers along her thigh. She loved the overwhelming need that insisted she push his boxers out of the way, that made her sink nails into his shoulder as he stroked along her bare sex, rubbing purposefully against her clitoris. Heat and desire burned through her entire body, almost too much to bear but too good to quit.

Kakashi stopped suddenly, pushing up onto his knees so that he was staring down at her. She fell back onto the mattress with a disappointed whine, shivering as he glided his hands up and down her thighs in slow, soothing movements.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his voice sounding a little strained. "We can stop here if you want."

As touching as his offer was, that wasn't what she wanted – and neither did he, judging by the way he was looking at her. It was as if she were the only thing that mattered to him right then, as if she was all he needed. If she hadn't been certain that this was what she wanted before, she was now.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Sakura pushed his pants down further, took his erection in hand, and squeezed. Kakashi's fingers flexed hard against her thighs as his hips lifted into her pumping fist.

"O-Or, we can keep doing this," he panted before his mouth fell open in wonder.

It was a little awkward at first, but the more he moaned and pushed against her hand, the more confident she became. She pushed herself up onto one elbow, her eyes immediately falling to the hard, flushed member she was stroking. Working at a hospital, she'd of course seen a few penises before, but this was the first time she'd ever held one outside of medical necessity.

She took her time exploring him, curious despite her inexperienced insecurities, and watched him closely for a response. Every time her hand slid up his shaft, he'd suck in a quick breath. Each squeeze of her fingers around his base produced a pleasured grimace, each little twist made his fingers press harder into her thighs. When her thumb brushed over the wider head, smearing through the thick fluid pearling at the tip, his head snapped back with a ragged gasp. She repeated the movement again, and this time she could actually feel his member pulse between her fingers.

The way his abdomen contracted with each thrust, the way the dull light played across his slick skin, the soft sounds he tried to control … all of it was affecting her in a very wonderful way. She never would have thought she'd become so aroused just by watching someone, but there was no denying that she was. An aching throb came from between her legs, causing her hips to shift restlessly for attention. With every stroke of her hand along his erection, she could feel herself getting hotter and wetter.

Suddenly, his hand shot out to grasp her wrist tightly, immediately stopping her movements. "No more," he ground out through clenched teeth. His eyes were squeezed shut as he tried to regain the control she'd stripped from him. "Anymore and I won't last."

It took her a moment to understand what he was saying, and when she did she immediately let go of him. A surge of pride swept through her that she'd been able to almost bring him to orgasm, and probably would have if he'd allowed her.

After a moment, Kakashi released a long, sighing breath and opened his eyes. The sharingan moved across her face slowly before trailing downward, memorizing every detail of her body. He trailed a single finger along her cheek gently, a smile tugging briefly at his lips when she turned and kissed his fingertip teasingly. "Have I told you yet that you're a pretty girl?" he asked.

She laughed, pressing a hand across her face and feeling just a little self-conscious beneath him. "If you have, then I don't remember," she replied, her smile softening as he pulled her hand away so he could look at her.

"You're a pretty girl, Haruno Sakura."

There was a seriousness mixed in with the joking tone that made her heart skip a beat. Rather than admit to it though, she arched a brow and said, "_Just_ pretty?"

"_Very_ pretty," he corrected as his smile deepened.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but couldn't quite keep the happy grin from her lips. "Stop stalling and come here," she ordered, beckoning him with one finger.

He did as she requested, bending over to kiss her while keeping his weight from crushing her into the mattress. Her hands smoothed down his chest to shove his pants down further, taking his boxers along in the process. She smiled against his lips when he gave an irritated groan and kicked the clinging garment off completely. His skin was hot beneath her fingers as she arched into him, letting her hands wander lower to grip his bare rear and squeeze. She felt the hot weight of his erection on her thigh and rubbed herself against it, enjoying the surprised sound he smothered into her shoulder.

And then he was shifting off of her, moving toward the edge of the bed.

Not wanting him to make anymore offers to stop, Sakura grabbed hold of his shoulder to keep him in place. "Where are you going?" she asked, her voice coming out breathy and rough.

Kakashi didn't answer her. Instead, he stretched across her body to the small nightstand by his bed and pulled the drawer open. Sakura pushed herself onto one elbow to see what he was up to, skimming her lips over his shoulder idly. He fumbled around in the drawer, shoving aside whatever was in there in order to find what he was looking for.

Her brow furrowed as he withdrew a small packet and tore it open, but as soon as she saw what was inside her cheeks immediately became hot. A condom. The only time she'd ever seen one was when Shizune had sat her down for 'the talk' after she'd started using birth control. It'd been embarrassing then, and it was doubly so now that she was seeing it applied to something other than a banana. She knew it was probably immature to do, but she couldn't watch him roll that thin latex sheath down over himself.

As soon as he was finished, Kakashi settled himself on top of her again. She spread her legs wider at the tugging of his hands, and when his penis slid across her folds she couldn't help but cry out.

"Shh," he cautioned, even as he repeated the slow, grinding movement that had solicited her response. "The walls are pretty thin."

Sakura nodded and somehow managed to turn the next shout into a strained whimper. It was so hard to concentrate on volume control when she felt like she was drowning in pleasure. Her hips met every thrust enthusiastically, loving the feel of his flesh between her legs. He wasn't inside her yet, nor was he giving any indication that he was going to be anytime soon. Kakashi knew this was her first time and was being patient with her, letting the pleasure build as high as possible before taking it further. She was grateful for his restraint, however difficult it was for him to maintain. The fact that he was trying to make this good for her showed that he cared, which in turn reminded her just how much she'd come to care for him in return.

After a few more careful rolls of his hips and several deep kisses, Kakashi drew back and met her gaze. He was giving her one final chance to back down if she wanted to. Sakura locked her legs around his waist and maintained eye contact, letting him know she wasn't about to do that. Taking a deep breath, he slipped a hand between her lower back and the mattress, changing the angle of her hips.

And then she felt the blunt tip of his penis pushing inside her.

It felt … odd, and a little uncomfortable. She'd been under no illusions that her first time would be like it was in all the romance novels, but she was surprised it didn't hurt beyond a stinging sensation that radiated from their point of contact. He was taking his time entering her, allowing her to grow accustomed to him before moving deeper. Kakashi held himself off of her so that only their hips were touching; the strain of holding himself in check showed in the trembling of his arms and the sweat beading on his brow. When she looked up at his face, hoping to make eye contact, she noticed that his attention was completely focused on where they were joined.

Curiosity took hold, prompting her to look down the length of her body as well. A gasp tore from her, followed quickly by a dark blush, at the sight of him penetrating her body. He still wasn't in all the way, but he was beginning to move in shallow thrusts, each one pushing just a bit further than the last. She moaned at the rush of warmth that swept over her at watching him slide in and out of her channel, of catching the faint slickness of her moisture coating him in the dim lighting. It was mesmerizing, and also just a bit astonishing, to her that this was really happening. That she was having sex and that it was with someone she'd never thought of romantically until a little over a month ago.

Finally, his hips became flush with hers, and the sensation of being filled so completely made her shiver. He sucked in a gasping breath for air, as if he'd been holding it the entire time, and looked at her face. "Are you okay?" he asked raspily.

Sakura nodded, reaching up to push a few sweaty pieces of hair out of his eyes. "I'm fine," she whispered back, shifting her hips experimentally to see if this was actually true. It still stung a little, but in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Taking her at her word, Kakashi drew back slowly … and thrust inside her again.

Sakura gasped, her eyes widening as her back came off the bed. The movement caused him to push firmly against her clitoris, sending ripples of pleasure bursting throughout her body at the contact. He pulled back again and she barely had time to suck in a jagged breath before he was sliding home, robbing her of oxygen. Again and again, he repeated the slow, firm rocking of his hips into hers and she responded with like fervor, her body moving of its own accord. She unwound her legs from around his hips, planting her feet into the mattress to lift herself more quickly into him.

Kakashi's hands took hold of her hips, his fingers pressing in as he forced her down to the mattress. The rough treatment made her stomach flutter, her eyes rolling back at the sudden flare of desire it produced. She reached for him, trying to draw him down for a kiss … but then he was sitting upright between her legs and still thrusting at that slow, controlled pace.

The change in angle had her back snapping off the mattress and her fingers scrabbling for the metal headboard again. He gave a harder push, hitting a spot inside her that immediately left her seeing stars and unable to think beyond the pleasure, beyond _moving._ She tried again to lift her hips, gasping when he kept her pinned to the bed. The feel of him plunging inside her, touching her in all the right places, was beyond amazing – but it wasn't enough. She was left hanging on the edge of the cliff, waiting anxiously to be shoved off into the mind blowing pleasure that was just barely out of reach. And it would remain that way for as long as he kept up the slow, calculated strokes.

It was killing her – _he _was killing her. The sensations raging inside her were too much, were far more intense than they had been last night. Her hips continued to shift shallowly, asking silently for more, and she could actually _feel_ her body contracting in the same demand. Once again, any thought of modesty was killed dead as the more basic part of her took over. She needed him – his mouth, his hands, his body – _right now_ or she was going to go crazy.

Without much thought beyond relieving the tension, Sakura reached down with the intent of doing it herself. She gasped in surprise, her eyes flying open when she felt Kakashi's fingers close tightly around her wrist. She looked up at him and saw the command in his mismatched eyes: don't move. The silent order was further emphasized when he very firmly returned her hand back to the headboard.

"Kakashi, please," she moaned, uncaring how ridiculous she sounded. Sakura arched her back, trying to gain some sort of leverage to move, but he simply wouldn't let her. A frustrated growl broke from her as she squirmed and twisted in his grasp. "Faster. Move faster, damn it!"

"No," he replied, the low pitch to his voice sending a shiver down her spine. "Not yet. Not until you come."

Sakura opened her eyes, and if it weren't for the wonderful sensations assailing her she would have been embarrassed by his words. He was staring down at her, taking in the sight of her spread beneath him, watching her pant and shift and moan for more – and it was just as exciting as when she'd watched him enter her. The desire in his gaze was searing, and knowing that the sharingan was memorizing every detail of their encounter made her nipples harden despite the heat pouring off of their bodies.

As if whatever he saw when she looked at him was a trigger, his hips began to move just a little faster. Kakashi gasped and groaned along with her at the change in tempo, keeping one hand planted on her hips while the other swept inward toward her sex. Sakura closed her eyes as he leaned over her, his hot breath fanning across her neck as he placed a chaste kiss to her earlobe.

"Come for me, Sakura," he ordered. "I want to watch you."

He'd no sooner finished whispering the words in her ear than his thumb worked across her clitoris in tight, hard circles that had her back jerking sharply off the mattress as the tension finally exploded. Sakura's eyes squeezed shut and she couldn't hold back the screams as wave after wave of pleasure rushed over her, intensified by the play of his hand and between her legs. He stroked her quickly, moving in counterpoint to the even thrusts of his length inside her. Her head tossed wildly across the sheets, her hands gripping the metal rods of the headboard so hard that she felt them dent between her fingers.

It felt like forever before the raw, searing pleasure began to fade, leaving her breathless and practically boneless with satisfaction. White spots still spun behind her eyelids as she struggled to find an even breath. Sakura blinked her eyes open slowly and looked up at him, her body still thrumming with pleasure. He was still inside her, hard and hot and practically pulsing with need. His fingers were curled tightly in the sheets by her hips and there was no mistaking the tremors racking through him as he fought to hang on for just a little longer.

Somehow, she found the energy to lift her arm and drape it around his neck, her fingers toying with the damp hair on his nape as she pulled him down to her. Their lips met briefly, hers moving slowly and his trembling, before she murmured, "My turn to watch you."

Kakashi groaned harshly and fell upon her as his hips surged quick and hard into hers. She cried out in surprise as ecstasy flooded through her once more, left her clinging to his shoulders as her hips rose to meet every demanding thrust he gave. He pressed hot, open mouthed kisses and broken moans to her throat, nipped at her pulse and shoulder roughly as her nails pressed into his skin hard enough to leave marks. The headboard thudded in time to their movements against the wall, setting the light overhead to swaying gently.

This was what she'd wanted from him, she thought as she licked and sucked at the sweat on his throat. To have him let go and give in to what their bodies demanded, to feel his member thrusting desperately inside her. He used his entire body in the movement so that she could feel him everywhere they met, and the added friction had her slipping more swiftly into orgasm than before.

It crashed into her out of nowhere, so sudden and so intense that for a moment she almost swore she blacked out. He cried out harshly, a guttural sound that had her name tangled in it, as her muscles contracted around his length. She felt it when he came, the hard pulse of his length inside her, and it tossed her into yet another orgasm that left her shivering uncontrollably on the mattress. Kakashi continued to rock and grind himself against her, stifling his cries in her shoulder as his hands gripped her thighs hard enough to leave bruises. And when he collapsed on top of her, panting just as raggedly as she was, she felt his member soften inside her before slipping out, resting wetly against her thigh.

For a moment, he remained lying on top of her, his heart hammering against her chest as his breath came in hot puffs on her neck. Sakura hummed pleasurably, enjoying the languid contentment radiating through her muscles. She could feel the ache begin between her legs, like she'd pulled some new muscles or something, and knew later she'd be sore, but right then it was nothing compared to the satisfaction.

Finally, Kakashi rolled off of her, grunting as if even that action was too much too soon. Sakura waited until he pulled the used condom off, tossing it into the trashcan by his bed, before hesitantly scooting closer to him. He rolled onto his side again, his lips quirking in a sleepy smile as she quickly fit herself to him. His fingers were gentle as they stroked down her cheek, brushing her sweaty hair back behind her ear tenderly.

"That was amazing," she commented softly and instantly regretted it when he chuckled at her. She didn't know why she'd thought to open any sort of discussion right after they'd finished having sex, especially with a comment _about _it.

Rather than tease her about it though, Kakashi kissed the tip of her nose like she was a puppy and said, "It certainly was."

She smiled shyly at that, glancing away as her fingers traced little circles over his chest. "Thank you. For being so patient, I mean," she hastily added when his brows rose in surprise.

He gave the barest of head shakes as he trailed a hand idly down her arm. "You say some of the strangest things."

Sakura's eyes narrowed irritably, but she felt far too relaxed to retaliate any further – at least physically. "What's so strange about that?" she demanded grumpily, trying to ignore how nice it felt to have him touching her. "You _were_ being patient, and I appreciate that. It couldn't have been easy, after all."

"You'd be surprised how easy things are when it involves someone you care about."

Her fingers paused in drawing their circles and her heart skipped at least a couple beats. Sakura looked up, her eyes scanning his features for any indication that what he'd just said could be taken another, more innocent way. The sharingan was closed now, but his other eye was widen open and meeting her gaze steadily. There wasn't a trace of deception there, no careful emptiness. What she saw was a softer look than she'd ever witnessed from him before, as well as a little uncertainty. Once again, he wasn't bothering to hide himself from her, allowing her to see plainly what he was thinking.

And from what she could see, Kakashi cared for her quite a bit.

The guilt returned then, gnawing at her so badly that she had to look away or risk him seeing it. This had been a mistake. No matter how incredible it had been or how much she'd wanted it, there was no denying that sleeping with Kakashi now had been a huge, terrible mistake. Even more so now that he'd just admitted out loud that he cared about her. Here he was, letting her into his life and allowing her to see beneath the surface … and she was lying to him.

She realized now – belatedly, of course – that it'd been a very stupid idea to have sex with him before coming clean about the whole mission. She couldn't blame it entirely on hormones either. Sakura had made the conscious decision to set aside telling him in favor of sleeping with him. There was no way around that fact.

Kakashi seemed to sense the change in her mood because he was suddenly tilting her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied and instantly regretted doing so. He needed to know about the mission before anything else happened. Before either of them became more attached to the other. As much as she would've liked to have not told him anything at all, she couldn't do that to him.

"Something's wrong," he persisted, rubbing his thumb gently along her lower lip. "Do you regret this?"

God, the last thing she needed was for him to think that. Kakashi gave her an inquiring look, his hand still against her hip. She had to tell him. Now. Before this went any further than it already had. Letting out a sigh of resignation, Sakura closed her eyes and asked softly, "Kakashi, have you … have you ever done something stupid? Something that could potentially hurt someone very badly?"

He took a deep breath and released it slowly as he pondered the question. Finally, he gave a brief nod and answered, "Yes."

Taking courage from his response, Sakura chewed her lower lip nervously before saying, "Well, I have too. And I didn't mean to do it, but I felt like I had to and I'm scared that—"

She stopped when he placed a finger to her lips.

"Sakura, just say it. Whatever you're trying to say, just tell me."

Sakura flinched at the gentleness in his voice, but there was that commanding edge just underneath that she couldn't refuse. "I … I stole your books," she admitted, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Kakashi stilled for a moment before he pushed himself up on one elbow. "Come again?"

"I said I stole your books," she repeated, swallowing nervously. "Your _Icha Icha _books. And I'm sorry for doing it – I'm _so _sorry – but I had to do it. And I know I should have said something before we … before we … did _this_, but I thought I could just return them without you knowing after I spoke to the person who told me to and—"

Once again, he cut her off, only this time it was with a hard, passionate kiss. At first, she was too shocked to respond, but all it took was a nip to her lower lip and the tap of his tongue to her teeth before she was opening her mouth to him with a moan. She practically melted against him as his tongue delved between her lips, rolling onto her back at the encouragement of his hands. This wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting from him … but it was far better than what she'd prepared herself for.

She tilted her head to one side as he nuzzled her throat, lifting her leg across his hip at the guidance of his hand. "It's okay," he murmured against her neck, causing her to sigh and wind her fingers through his hair. "I already knew about that."

"What?" she gasped, shivering as his half hard member rubbed along the inside of her thigh enticingly. It was hard to think straight when he was doing such wonderful things to her.

"I said I already knew about the books," he repeated, his hand inching toward the apex of her thighs. "I knew from the very start."

Sakura's eyes flew open and she stiffened against him. "What?" she asked again, this time more sharply.

Kakashi drew back, holding himself over her with an entirely too happy grin plastered on his face. "Back when you asked me out, I knew you were after something. It took me a week or so to pinpoint what exactly it was, but I've known for some time now you were trying to steal them. That's why I left them out tonight."

"You … purposely left the books out?"

He laughed softly and bent to kiss her again. "Of course. No offense, Sakura, but you're not the most subtle when it comes to these things."

Apparently, she was more subtle than he gave her credit for, because he sure as hell didn't see her hand flying toward his face until after it cracked sharply against his cheek.


	26. Too Late To Apologize

"You _creep!_"

Somehow, her outraged snarl managed to penetrate his ringing ear. Kakashi grunted when her foot accidentally (at least he _thought _it was an accident) connected with his stomach as she quickly scrambled out of bed. His cheek still stung from getting slapped and all he could do for several seconds was watch in shock as Sakura went about snatching her clothing from the floor. It was the first time in his life he'd ever been so stunned that he couldn't move or think or do anything.

Hell, he didn't even know what he'd done to deserve getting clobbered.

Finally, his senses returned just as Sakura was jerking her skirt up over her hips. "Sakura, what's wrong with you?" he asked, watching bewilderedly as she pulled her shirt on inside out. Her bra was still partially kicked under the bed, but now didn't seem like a good time to point that out.

She whirled on him, her green eyes blazing with so much anger that he very nearly reached for the kunai strapped under the mattress. "What's wrong with _me?_" she shouted, uncaring that every tenant in the complex probably heard her. "You're sitting there, telling me that you knew all along … and you're asking what's wrong with _me?_"

He glanced away from her, trying to determine whether the question was rhetorical or not. "Um… yes?" he replied hesitantly.

Apparently, that was the wrong answer. Sakura growled and stomped out of the bedroom, shoving the door open so violently that it shook plaster down over his head. He heard her marching about in the living room, searching around to make sure she had everything. She was leaving. She was angry and hurt and she was leaving him….

Kakashi quickly grabbed his pants from the floor, throwing them on without a care that his boxers were caught in one pant leg, and hurried after her. "Sakura, hold on a second!"

"Hell, no!" she snapped as she slung her purse over one shoulder.

"Will you just stop for one minute and tell me what's wrong?"

When Sakura turned toward him again, her eyes were glittering with unshed tears. It did little to dampen the fury, though it did make his chest ache a bit to see. "You knew all about the books … and you _slept with me!"_

Maybe she'd slapped him harder than he'd thought, because he really wasn't following her logic. "Yes, I did," he said, hoping now that he had her talking he could maybe get her to calm down. "And you slept with me, even though you had ulterior motives."

"It's different though! What you did and what I did … it's completely different!"

He nodded slowly. "Okay. How?"

"You knew everything, but you _still _let me go through with it! Why would you do that?" she shouted. A tear slipped free, running down the pale curve of her cheek, and even now when she was clearly furious with him he wanted to wipe it away. His hands fisted in an attempt to quell the need to go to her.

"To be honest, I was curious to see how far you'd take it," he replied bluntly. There was no need to hide anything now that it was all out on the table.

Her eyes rounded in shock, and for a moment she seemed to be struck silent. But the fire returned so quickly it was as if it had never left. "You ... You wanted to see how far I'd take it?" she repeated, her voice trembling. She advanced toward him with a very violent glint in her eyes and it took everything he had not to assume a defensive stance. "So, what, you thought to yourself 'oh, hey, I'll just let Sakura carry on and maybe I'll get lucky and she'll fuck me'? Is _that _why you didn't say anything?"

"You're twisting my words, Sakura," he said, and he wasn't quite able to keep the irritation from creeping in. "And it wasn't like that. It was more of … a test."

The minute he said it, he regretted it. Her eyes hardened, becoming colder than he had ever seen them before. "A test," she whispered. Somehow, that soft tone was far worse than having her shout at him. Her fingers trembled as they fisted by her side and his eyes dropped to them warily. "_You slept with me because of some stupid **test**?_!"

He winced as the last was definitely screamed loud enough for people to hear. In fact, he could have sworn the footsteps from overhead stopped completely and the television down the hall went quieter. Not for the first time, he lamented living in a building with paper walls.

"That's like saying you only dated me because of some stupid mission," Kakashi pointed out much quieter, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly. There was a part of him that wanted to apologize to her for everything, imagined or otherwise, just to make things better between them, but his pride wouldn't let him.

"At least I have an excuse!" she spat out. "You were just looking for an easy lay!"

"First of all, you are _not _an easy lay," he corrected curtly, uncaring that his own anger was more than evident now. "One month of dating someone before they put out isn't easy." He ignored her indignant gasp and carried on before she could open her mouth and harangue him further. "Second, don't you think it's just a tiny bit hypocritical to be angry over me acting under false pretenses when the only reason you asked me out to begin with was for the same? You need to ask yourself, Sakura, what's _really _upsetting you: the fact that I omitted the truth or that you failed the task."

If the sudden stiffening to her shoulders was any indication, he'd struck a very sore nerve. Her eyes widened and the tears that had been clinging stubbornly to her lashes finally broke free in full force. She ducked her head, but not before he saw the raw, aching pain in her eyes. Without realizing it, Kakashi began to reach for her – just as she turned and hurried for the door.

"Sakura," he called softly, his heart lurching heavily in his chest. "Sakura, please."

The door closed behind her and all he heard were her footsteps rushing for the stairs and muffled sobs.

Kakashi's hand dropped to his side again and his shoulders slumped, his head hanging in defeat. She was gone. She was running off in the middle of the night, crying because … well, he still wasn't certain exactly certain why, but he was definitely part of the cause. Letting out a sigh, he went back to the bedroom and dug out the summoning scroll from his flak vest. He gave his finger a quick nick on a kunai and smeared the blood across the first seal.

Smoke swirled near his feet as Pakkun appeared. The pug's eyes were bright and cheerful, and his curly tail was wagging so hard it shook his entire rear. He took one look at Kakashi's face and any semblance of good humor faded into concern. "What happened? What'd you do?" he demanded.

"Why do you assume I'm the one who did something?" Kakashi grumbled irritably.

"Because you usually do." Pakkun's flat nose snuffled the air, and belatedly the copy ninja remembered they were in his bedroom – where he'd recently had sex with Sakura.

Scowling at the nosey dog, Kakashi scooped him up and forcibly carried him from the room. He set him down again once they were in the living room and dropped himself onto the sofa. "Can you and Bull track Sakura for me?"

Pakkun's muzzle managed a frown as his head cocked curiously at his summoner. "Sure, but why?"

"Just track her, please. Don't engage her if at all possible; just make sure she gets home alright."

The pug nodded in understanding and, without another word, disappeared again.

Satisfied that the ninken would do what he couldn't at the moment, Kakashi slouched further against the sofa and closed his eyes. Hopefully, she didn't misinterpret his intentions behind sending the dogs as an escort. It wasn't that he didn't trust her capability in defending herself, more that he didn't like the idea of her wandering the streets of Konoha at night alone while sobbing. And all because of what? The fact that he was just as duplicitous as she? Or was it that she'd not been able to pull one over on him like she'd thought?

This was not at all how he'd foreseen their conversation going. Yes, he'd expected her to be a little upset; he hadn't, however, expected her to go off like she had though. He was willing to admit that he was partially to blame for some of this, but he absolutely refused to be her scapegoat or allow her to play the martyr. She was acting like a child….

Which, in a way, she still was. She was only sixteen, after all. At the time when she'd first asked him out, he hadn't thought anything of the years between them, but now… Kakashi sighed heavily, rubbing a hand across his eyes wearily. Now he was beginning to think all of this – from the first date to having sex with her – was a colossal mistake.

His hand fell away but his eyes remained closed as he replayed the entire ordeal over again in his head, trying to see if perhaps she _was_ right and his brand of withholding the truth was worse than hers. Maybe it was because he had a bias for his own thoughts, but no matter how many times he considered the matter he didn't see a difference.

That meant the only logical conclusion was that she was more upset over being found out than she was about him leading her on.

As relieving as that thought was, it didn't change the fact that she had stormed off in tears and was probably blaming him for every miserable thing that had ever happened to her. Sakura was a stubborn girl, and it was his experience that reasoning with stubborn girls when they were furious was a futile endeavor. He wanted to talk to her, to see if maybe they could make amends and just….

Just what, go back to the way things were? It was a nice sentiment, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe they could. Genma had been right: it was impossible to start a relationship built on lies and deceit. Even without the difference in their maturity being brought out tonight, there was the fact that neither of them had entered this with completely noble intentions.

Kakashi's eye opened slowly to cast a dull look up at the water stained ceiling. "You really screwed this one up, didn't you?" he muttered bitterly to himself.

* * *

The door to the Hokage's office slammed open with such force that the upper hinge tore away from the wood. Jiraiya let out a surprised squawk as the sake bottle he'd been pouring dropped from his hands. Tsunade's eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise as an enraged Sakura stomped into her office, jerked something from her bag and slammed it with unnecessary violence on the desk.

"Mission accomplished," she snapped before turning smartly and storming back out again.

Tsunade was out of her chair and hurrying toward the broken door in an instant. "Sakura, what happened?" she called. Then, when it was obvious her apprentice didn't plan to respond, she said with more authority, "Haruno Sakura!"

She stood in the damaged doorway for a few seconds longer, staring after her apprentice, before giving the barest shake of her head and slowly making her way back over to the desk. "What in the world is wrong with that girl?" she murmured, running a finger along her lower lip. It was a nervous gesture, one she'd had since she was a child.

"She's a teenager, Tsunade. The world usually _is _what's wrong," he commented as he leaned forward to examine what the girl had so unceremoniously deposited on the Hokage's desk. He grimaced when noticed they were _Icha Icha _books – and they were sporting fresh new bends in the spines. Foolish girl… She had absolutely no respect for literary masterpieces!

"I should go after her," she mused to herself, the worry apparent in both her voice and face. "That wasn't like Sakura at all."

"The girl just had her heart broken. Naturally she won't be acting like herself." He flipped the abused cover of the first book open and smiled when he read a very familiar inscription: _To my number one fan on his birthday. May you use the knowledge_ _provided in this book for ill intentions._ It wasn't at all surprising to see they were Kakashi's books.

Tsunade cast a hard look in his direction and demanded, "How do you figure that?"

"When a young girl is out alone at night, uncaring that her eyes are puffy and in a mood fit to kill, it's pretty obvious she's been dumped." Well, that and the fact that Sakura wasn't the sort of girl who normally went around braless on a rather chill night … but for Kakashi's sake, he wasn't going to share that observation with Tsunade. She was already bristling over his deduction on the status of the relationship.

Hands clenching into fists and eyes narrowing into a glare that had him crossing his legs out of protective habit, she shook her head and growled, "I'll kill him."

"You will do no such thing," Jiraiya countered, reaching across the desk for her empty sake bowl. "What you _will _do is help me finish off this very expensive bottle of sake while reprimanding me for peeking in the women's bath again."

"Jiraiya, if that idiot did something to her—"

"It'd be partially your fault. You did, after all, tell Sakura to seduce him."

"I said no such thing," the Hokage spluttered as she took the refilled bowl. "I gave her the rules and left it up to her to figure out."

Jiraiya fixed her with a droll look. "That's splitting hairs a bit, don't you think?"

"The hell it is!"

"Tsunade… My point is, you can't be mad at Kakashi alone for the fallout. Sakura certainly had a hand in it, as did you if you wish to get technical. Storming over to his home to beat him into a coma isn't going to fix anything. It'd also be a sore blow to the mission roster. How much does he bring in to the village annually again?"

She scowled, but it was more out of annoyance at his logic than anger. With a heavy huff, she flopped back down into her chair again and took a slow sip from her cup. Her gaze slid over the books as he picked up the second one. "I'm actually surprised she managed to do it," she commented, a hint of gruffness still lingering in her voice.

"Mm… not to rub salt in the wound, but she didn't," Jiraiya replied, hefting the book in his palm.

Her eyes narrowed once again, this time at him. "I see three books on my desk, Jiraiya. Unless you cranked out a fourth one in the last couple days, it looks like I won."

Smirking in triumph, he carefully set the book down on her desk and did the seal to release a genjutsu. The book's exterior warped and rippled as if being seen through heat waves before the bright cover dissolved into a much plainer black and white print. He picked it up again, flipping it over to read the back summary. A self-help book. It was insulting, and yet at the same time oddly appropriate.

Tsunade's jaw dropped as he set the disguised book on top of the stack. Then, with a slight shake of her head, she chuckled and leaned back more comfortable in her seat. "There's something wrong when you can tell whether it's your book by the weight," she teased.

Jiraiya snickered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "What can I say? I'm good."

She shook her head again, her amused expression shifting into one of concern. "I'll call him in tomorrow to have a talk."

He nodded, sipping his sake. "That might not be a bad idea. But don't discuss it with Sakura. Let her come to you."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will."

The look she gave him said she wasn't completely convinced by his confidence.

Sighing under his breath, Jiraiya leaned forward and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Trust me, Tsunade. She will."

The Hokage offered him a watered-down smile and lifted her cup in a toast. "Here's hoping you're right about that, Jiraiya."

* * *

A can went rocketing down the street and embedded itself in the side of a brick building, the two materials melding together due to the force of impact – all courtesy of Sakura's foot. She continued marching on, pausing only long enough to kick any obstacles out of her way while struggling to hold back the tears burning her eyes. Very few people were out tonight, what with it being cold as hell, but those that saw her were quick to get out of the way.

_Stupid._ The word kept circling her mind over and over again. She was stupid. The whole situation was stupid. But Kakashi was the _stupidest _thing of all.

No, not stupid; Kakashi was an _asshole_. She made a sound of satisfaction at the change as she sent a half eaten sandwich splattering like brain matter across another wall. The cat that had been lounging on the windowsill went skittering off into the darkness.

He'd known everything, right from the very beginning. Right from when she'd first asked him out. For the life of her she couldn't figure out how, but it hardly seemed important anymore. The fact was he had known and had simply let her continue on as if he hadn't. He'd made a _fool_ out of her.

And for what, to test her? The idea sent a fresh wave of rage through her and resulted in a pebble punching a tidy hole through a door.

It sickened her to think that all this time he'd been setting her up. He'd purposely twisted things about, manipulating her into falling for him. Why, he was no better than….

Than her.

Sakura came to an abrupt halt and an icy sensation flooded through her. She'd been so wrapped up in how hurt _she _was that she hadn't realized the hypocrisy of her outrage – or thought that maybe, just maybe, Kakashi was hurt, too. Her mind raced back to the moment when she'd confessed to him. She remembered the way he'd smiled, how happy he'd looked. At the time, she'd been too scared of his reaction to think about it, but now that she did he'd almost seemed … _relieved._

The cynical voice in her head suggested maybe he was relieved it was finally over, but she knew that wasn't the case. He'd been relieved to get everything out into the open at long last.

And she'd gone and smacked him across the face while accusing him of the very things she'd been doing.

She dropped down onto the nearest curb, brought her knees to her chest, and started to _really_ cry. Hewasn't the creep here; she was. She was a creep and a jerk and just plain _stupid _for reacting as she had_. _Kakashi had been right. She wasn't mad at him; she was mad over the fact that she'd failed her mission, and she'd taken it out on him. The best thing that had happened to her since becoming Tsunade's apprentice, and she'd gone and ruined it in a fit of rage.

But what if there hadn't been anything to ruin? Who could say whether his feelings toward her had been genuine or just part of the act? After all, he'd never really expressed how he felt about her. She'd only been basing it off of actions and looks, and those were easy to contrive or misread. Maybe all those times she'd thought he cared about her were just for show.

Part of her, probably her stubborn heart, didn't believe that. She thought back on how gentle he'd been with her, how he'd given her plenty of opportunities to stop and made sure that her needs were met as well. Despite her lack of experience, she knew very well that wasn't how someone acted if they didn't care about the person they were sleeping with.

Then again … this was Kakashi, and she was his teammate. It made sense on that account that he _would _be careful with her. He was the sort of man who would rather die than harm someone close to him, and nothing was closer to him than a teammate. The thought that his actions were more for that than anything romantic made her chest tighten painfully.

She wasn't aware of the group passing by until one of them stopped and asked in a very familiar voice, "Sakura?"

Sakura jerked and very quickly swiped a hand across her eyes before looking up with what she knew wasn't a very convincing smile. "Hey, Naruto," she called back as cheerfully as she could after having cried for who knew how long.

The blond frowned and took a step toward her, which in turn caused Kiba and Shino to stop and look back at them curiously. "You okay?" he asked.

Laughing, she waved a hand at him and said, "Oh, I'm fine! Just got a little dust in my eyes, that's all." Truthfully, she felt like she was about to start crying again and she didn't want him seeing that.

Naruto's frown deepened. He glanced once between the other two boys and her before waving over his shoulder. "I'm gonna sit here with Sakura-chan until my stomach settles down. Too much ramen, y'know?"

Everyone knew that was a lie. When it came to Naruto, there was no such thing as 'too much ramen'. Kiba snorted and jerked his head at Shino. "C'mon, let's go see Shikamaru and Chouji wanna see a movie."

The two headed off down the street as Naruto sat down next to her, stretching his legs out into the street. There weren't a ton of people out tonight, what with it being a bit rainy and cool, so there wasn't as risk of him tripping someone. For the longest time, neither of them said a word. They simply sat together, her staring morosely at a puddle and him up at the sky. Finally, Naruto turned toward her and said, "We're friends, right?"

Sakura blinked at him. "Of course we are."

"An' friends tell each other stuff, right?"

She knew where he was going with this, and all she could do was swallow and nod.

"So … that means you should tell me what you're thinkin'."

Letting out a soft sigh, Sakura rubbed a hand up either arm and mumbled, "I'm thinking that I'm an idiot."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he regarded her. Secretly, she thought he looked a bit like one of Kakashi's dogs when he pulled that face … and as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she had to close her eyes to fight back the fresh wash of tears.

He nudged her side to get her attention, and she sniffled as discreetly as possible. "Hey, hey! What's that genjutsu release thing again?"

Sakura frowned, puzzled as to why he was asking about techniques right then. "What, you mean kai?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, that!" he exclaimed excitedly. "How's it go?"

Still confused as to why he needed to know (and, really, he _should _have known this one already; it was pretty basic, after all), she gave a quick demonstration of the seal and chakra required to do it.

Once she was done, Naruto nodded, waited exactly four seconds, and whipped toward her again with a shout of, "Kai!"

Sakura jumped, as did her heart. And when she saw his wide grin, she gave him a hard slug on the arm. "Naruto! You scared the crap outta me!"

He snickered, one hand rubbing his abused arm, and said, "Yup, you're the real Sakura-chan."

"Well, of _course _I am!" she railed. "What made you think I wasn't?"

"Because the _real _Sakura is one of the smartest people I know," he explained, his grin softening around the edges as an admiring look flickered through his blue eyes. "She _may_ even be smarter than Shikamaru, an' she knows it, too."

Sakura gaped at him, stunned, for a few seconds before offering a faint smile in return. To hear him say that was really sweet, and even though it didn't help to cheer her up it still felt good knowing he had faith in her. She pushed her hair back behind one ear and shifted uneasily next to him. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Well, _I _am. An' I don't believe for one minute that you're stupid."

This time when she smiled, it was a little more heartfelt. It felt nice talking with Naruto like this; he was always so optimistic and he never stopped believing in people. No matter what she did or said, he would never lose faith in her. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, Sakura fiddled with the hem of her skirt and admitted softly, "I dated Kakashi."

She felt more than saw him gaping at her. It was the first time she could ever recall him, the loudmouth of their group, being stunned into total silence. Sakura waited nervously, barely able to breathe, for him to say something – anything. She didn't dare hope for a favorable response, but what he said next was far better than what she'd been imagining.

"Dated?" he repeated, his face unusually blank. Most of the time, Naruto was one of the easiest people to read. It was weird to see him so guarded – but maybe that itself was a bit telling.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah."

"As in, you used to date but stopped?"

She swallowed heavily and nodded again. "Yeah."

"Huh." He paused, staring off at the building across from them with squinted eyes. "So … who stopped datin' who?"

Her breath left in a shallow puff that fogged in the chilly evening air. She shifted next to him, her fingers curling together uncomfortably. Should she tell him everything – about the bet and her plan and Kakashi's counter strategy? She winced. For some reason, the idea of telling Naruto all the specifics made her sick with nerves. Not to mention just thinking about it brought about still more tears. Maybe later, when things had blown over, she would confide in him completely. But not right now.

"It's not like that," she answered softly. "It's more like … neither of us were who the other expected."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully as he considered that before his lower lip curled out in a hard frown. "I don't get it. You're both who you are. How can you be anything else?"

She closed her eyes and picked at a snag in her skirt. "It's complicated."

"See, Jiraiya-sama," he began, bracing his hands behind him to lean back and look at the stars again – or maybe he was trying to catch a whiff of ramen? "He says that's just somethin' people tell themselves 'cause the truth scares them. He says love isn't a complicated thing at all: it's either there or it isn't. It's people that _make _it all complicated an' confusin' an' – what?"

She hadn't realized she'd been gaping at him until he stopped talking. A smile touched her lips as she glanced away. "Nothing," she said. "I'm just shocked to hear you talking like that."

"Like what?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Laughing, she gave his temple a teasing poke and replied, "Like you've actually got a brain between those ears.

He grinned, and a bit of color came to his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, well … I'm a ninja. An' as everyone knows, ninja can be very deceiving."

She laughed again at his attempt at humor, bumping her shoulder into his affectionately. "Thank you."

Naruto's grin softened around the edges, becoming a smile she'd never seen from him before. It was warm but at the same time made him look a little older than he was. "What for?"

Sakura shrugged, hugging her knees to her chest. "For listening. For being an amazing person and an even more amazing friend."

Something flickered through his eyes then, so quickly that she couldn't pinpoint it. Her smile faded a little when she noted the barest tension to his features, as if he was trying to maintain a happy façade. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he laughed and exclaimed, "Well, of _course _I'm amazin'! I'm gonna be the next Hokage, after all."

Any worry that something she'd said might have upset him disappeared at his outburst, drawing a giggle from her. "And being amazing is definitely one of the requirements for the job."

Naruto flashed another bright grin and pushed to his feet. "Hey, wanna get some ramen?" he asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.

Sakura shook her head, her nose wrinkling a little. "No, thanks. Besides, didn't you just have some with Kiba and Shino?"

"Yeah, but it's _so good!_ You can't tell me it's not the best food ever."

She could … but she wouldn't. That would just be inviting an argument, and she didn't want to have another one of those this evening. "That's okay," she insisted, getting to her feet as well. She looked at him and her favorable humor vanished when she noticed him sneaking glances at her chest.

Looking down, she saw straightaway what the problem was: it was cold out and she'd left her bra at Kakashi's. Sakura scowled and quickly folded her arms over her breasts. "Do you mind?" she ground out.

"Huh? Oh! Uh … sorry, Sakura-chan!" A sheepish smile spread across his cheeks as he took a couple cautious steps away from her.

Sakura let out an irritated huff and fixed her arms over her torso more securely. "Never mind. Enjoy your ramen."

"Yeah, okay. You, um … have a goodnight, too." He turned and began trotting off down the street – in the direction _she'd _just come from.

"Naruto!"

He paused, turning back with an all-too innocent face.

She leveled her sternest frown on him and ordered, "No kicking Kakashi-sensei's ass. It's not his fault."

Naruto's shoulders slumped in disappointment as he trudged back down the street toward Ichiraku Ramen. "Okay, fine. But I still owe that Cyclops-bastard for hittin' me with tear gas."

Sakura watched him just long enough to make sure he didn't double back before crossing the street to head off for her own apartment. While talking with her friend and teammate had provided a necessary dose of therapy for her, now that he was gone she was stuck once again thinking about everything that had gone wrong.

She didn't like that things ended this way, but she supposed there had never been any other option for it. Both of them had gone into it with false pretenses, and the results of that were shattered trust, a ruined friendship, and at least one severely broken heart. To top it off, she couldn't see a way that any of it could be salvaged, not with the way she'd acted toward him. She'd been such an immature idiot….

This time, she managed to hold back the tears until she was inside her apartment, unaware that she'd been followed the entire walk home by two watchful canines.

* * *

It took a couple days before Tsunade was able to finally summon Kakashi to her office. First because some unexpected circumstances had demanded her attention (one being a report of potential Akatsuki members crossing into Fire Country), and second because Kakashi had disappeared. It'd taken two ANBU squads and a pack of Inuzuka dogs to locate him.

Now that he was sitting in front of her, covered in dirt, nameless stains, and looking a bit like death warmed over … she wished she'd delegated some of her duties off onto her assistants.

Hatake Kakashi, like any self-respecting shinobi, looked after his health. She knew from past exams that he ate well, exercised frequently, and overall lived a healthy lifestyle outside of his addiction to Jiraiya's work – and even that wasn't much of a vice, to be honest. But the man sitting before her now was, in a word, a wreck. He obviously hadn't washed or shaved since the night Sakura had come bursting into her office, nor did it look as if he'd slept much either. Deep, enormous bruises stained the skin under his eyes, the open one being a disturbing shade of bloodshot, and he was slouching far more than was normal or acceptable in his chair. He looked ready to just slide off onto her floor like undercooked bacon and stay there.

"You look like hell Kakashi," she stated, hoping to slice through the near catatonic way he was staring at her desk by pointing out that _she_, the Hokage – his boss – was aware of that fact.

Kakashi blinked slowly, as if stirring himself from a dream, and mumbled, "That's an accurate observation."

"And that's an unusually direct answer from you." Oh, yes. The young man was pretty bad off if he wasn't even trying to play mind games with her.

He shrugged indifferently. "Is there something you need, Hokage-sama?"

At least he hadn't forgotten to be polite when addressing her. Tsunade took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she propped her elbows on the desk. "Yes. An apology."

"Sorry."

"Not from you, you idiot. I need to apologize … to you."

Kakashi glanced up at that, and some of the shrewdness she was used to seeing surfaced in his gaze again. It took a moment before he replied, "Thanks, but shouldn't you say that to Sakura instead? You were, after all, the one who put her up to it."

She wasn't the least bit surprised he knew by now. Whatever stink hole he'd buried himself in had clearly given him time to think things through. "Yes and no," she said. "I assigned the task, but I never instructed Sakura as to how it was to be done. Quite frankly, I was very surprised to see she'd chosen that approach when there were so many others she could have used."

When he didn't respond, Tsunade reached into her top drawer – the one that housed her sake – and pulled out three books. Two of them had been read repeatedly, as was evident by the worn spines, but the other looked as if it hadn't been used for anything other than a coaster. She pushed them across the desk and he leaned forward just enough to take them.

"I want you to know that the self-help one was mixed in with the lot when she came storming into my office," she informed him.

He nodded dully, his fingers running over the covers of the other two to inspect for damage. "I know. I put it there."

"Figured as much."

There was a pause before Kakashi, with his eye carefully lowered to the books on his lap, asked softly, "Have you spoken with her yet?"

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Not yet, but I will. Have you?"

Kakashi didn't reply – not verbally, at least. The way he was staring out the wide windows of her office spoke volumes though. It was a rare thing for someone like him to be so easy to read … but that was what heartache did to a person. Tsunade studied what little she could see of his face. Sadness, of course, was present, but there was also an edge of something she almost wanted to call fear. Was he afraid of approaching Sakura, or of losing her? It was difficult to say, even with his guard down.

She leaned forward, and immediately his attention shift back to her. "Kakashi," she began slowly, speaking more as a friend rather than a Hokage. "If there's one thing I know about Sakura it's that she's probably the most sincere ninja I've ever met. She thinks with her heart more than she's perhaps aware, but that same trait also makes her a stubborn fool when it comes to people she cares about. It also doesn't help that she has a damnably quick temper."

"I'm aware of that," he replied wryly as he rubbed a hand across his cheek.

"Then let me tell you something you _don't _know," she continued, putting a bit of steel into her words. "I've never seen Sakura happier than she has been for the last month or so. It's a strange coincidence, don't you think, that it coincides with the time you two started seeing each other romantically?"

Kakashi's eye widened, causing Tsunade to smirk as she leaned back in her chair again. "If you want my advice," she continued, "you're both behaving like idiots. The two of you need to get over your difference or risk losing something that only comes around once in a lifetime, if you're so lucky."

It went without saying that she was speaking from experience. Even now, decades (she hate admitting it had been that long) later, she still remembered Dan with a mixture of fondness and grief. Out of habit, her hand reached for a necklace she'd given away two years ago.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Kakashi murmured, drawing her out of her thoughts, "but it's a little late for all that. How can we have something that never really started to begin with?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, her nails tapping a sharp beat on her desk. "On second thought, I think you deserve to be lonely and miserable."

He sighed and stood up, signaling the conversation was done. "Is that all?"

She turned away dismissively. "Yes. You can leave."

The door was already closing behind him.

* * *

Kakashi didn't have a particular destination in mind other than to get out of the village. He let his feet take him in the general direction of the gate, and from there they had free reign.

It turned out they decided he wanted to escape to the Haku no Senju – an ancient oak tree that was right in the heart of the forest that gave Konoha its name. It'd been planted by the Shodai Hokage back when the village had been found. The tree had somehow survived fire, famine, war, and countless generations of genin pretending to be elite ninja in its branches.

It wasn't as covert a spot as he might have wished, but for now it was fine. He was alone and that was all he'd really wanted anyway. Kakashi summoned a bit of chakra to his feet and walked straight up the side of the gnarled trunk without an ounce of difficulty.

He had plenty of memories associated with this tree, both happy and sad. This was where Rin had given him his first kiss, where his father had sat him down and explained why the villagers hated him, where he'd spent the night after getting stone drunk for the first time. That last one he still wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad memory. He'd woken up with stiff muscles, several painful kinks in his neck and back, and with Genma spooning him. The fact that both of them were fully clothed didn't really ease the horror of waking up to the senbon-user mumbling drunken sweet-nothings in his ear.

And now he was here due to one of the most complicated breakups of his life. He glanced down at his bare toes. At one part of him seemed to know what it was doing.

Kakashi found a comfortable enough nook in the thick limbs to settle down in. Normally, he would have pulled out a volume of _Icha Icha _to read. He didn't really feel like doing that now. Sighing heavily, he let his head fall back against the trunk and closed his eyes. The sun filtered down through the leaves in green and yellow splashes, offering a little warmth against the crisp wind that set the trees to shaking. He could here the flutter and rustle of leaves as they broke free from the branches, some of them starting to take on the rusty hues of fall.

It was peaceful out here away from the hustle of village life, which was unfortunate because it left him with nothing to do but think. Seeing as his thoughts remained stubbornly fixated on the one topic he was trying to avoid, this wasn't as pleasant as it might have been on other occasions. Maybe there was a reason why people thought with their heads and not their feet.

Try as he might to redirect his thoughts, or clear them completely, his mind kept turning back to Sakura. She was the reason he'd been avoiding the village for the last couple of days. He could take her being angry with him. He could handle all the heated words and insults and accusations she wanted to fling at him. Hell, he'd even be willing to take her hitting him again. But what he couldn't take – what he feared the most – was her giving him the cold shoulder. Sakura was, no matter the circumstances, a teammate and a friend. It scared him to think that had been destroyed along with their relationship. And he wasn't quite ready to face that hypothetical yet.

It might have been cowardly of him to avoid the truth, but since when had he ever claimed to be brave – especially when it involved relationships?

His eye opened and his hand automatically went for the shuriken holster on his thigh when an added weight made the branch he was perched on bend. He relaxed when he saw it was Asuma, and part of him was grateful for the interruption from his morose thoughts. He lifted his hand in a haphazard wave. "Yo."

"I've been looking all over for you," Asuma grunted as he took a seat on the branch and lit a cigarette. "You're a real pain in the ass to find."

"The point of being out here is to _not _be found," he replied, watching idly as the other man blew a line of smoke up into the canopy. The sharp, acrid stench of nicotine hit his nose hard, even with the mask filtering it. "I thought you quit."

"I did … mostly. Cut it down to four a day."

"Kurenai must be happy about that."

"Yeah, she is. And it's better for my health anyway, right?"

Kakashi hummed in agreement.

Neither of them said a word after that, simply sat in silence with the leaves falling and the smoke rising. Kakashi knew why Asuma was there and that, eventually, the quiet would end. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't like discussing his personal matters very much, but at the same time he had to acknowledge that he was in over his head on it.

The break finally came when Asuma pinched off the end of his cigarette and dropped the burnt out filter to the ground. "I heard what happened between you and Sakura."

Kakashi nodded absently. "Genma?"

"Yeah."

"He has a big mouth."

Asuma chuckled. "Yeah." He reached up then and unzipped his flak vest enough to pull something out – a book, as it turned out. One Kakashi recognized immediately. "Here, take it. It's yours, isn't it?"

Kakashi took _Icha Icha Violence _from him gingerly, hardly daring to believe that his stolen volume was once again in his possession. He turned it over, running a thumb carefully up the spine to check for any cracks that weren't caused from reading, and then opened the cover to make sure the pages were exactly as he'd left them. "Asuma … where…?"

"Found it at the men's bathhouse, stashed in with all the towels," the dark haired man replied, smirking as he watched the way his companion handled the item.

He knew for a fact that Asuma didn't use the public bath, having claimed once there was something really emasculating about being in a tub full of penises, which meant he was lying about where he'd found it and was probably covering for someone. Kakashi would bet money that Genma was somehow involved, but for now he would let it go. _Icha Icha Violence _was unharmed, so there was no need to kill anyone.

"Thanks," he said, tucking it carefully into his vest with the other four books he'd retrieved that morning.

"Sure, no problem," Asuma replied. He paused for a moment and scratched his bearded chin. "So … wanna talk about it?"

Kakashi flinched before he could stop himself. He'd been dreading that question since the moment his friend sat down. "No."

"Okay. By the way, Kurenai's pregnant."

"Congratulations." It was said with a total lack of enthusiasm. Not because he wasn't happy for them – he was, and he knew they would be fantastic parents – but it was difficult to be excited when one's life was in the shits.

Asuma inclined his head and said, "Thank you. Did you know that during birth a woman's vagina can stretch as much as—"

"The reason Sakura asked me out was because Tsunade ordered her to steal my books," Kakashi interrupted quickly. He would rather discuss his personal life than hear Asuma talk about gynecological issues – especially his wife's gynecological issues.

The other man nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "So that's what you and Genma were whispering about at the genin observation a while back?"

Kakashi sighed. "Yeah."

"If you knew that, then why did you say yes?"

"Because it was an opportunity to demonstrate the hazards of a seduction mission."

Asuma stiffened and a hard gleam entered his eyes. "Let me get this straight," he said, speaking slowly and as if he was fighting the urge to chuck his friend out of the tree. "Sakura asked you out in order to seduce the books off of you, and you, rather than confront her on this, decided to play along to teach her a lesson?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds a lot worse than it actually is."

"Then you've got a seriously warped sense of good and bad," the other man snapped back. He sighed, shaking his head. "Damn, Kakashi… I can't say as I approve, but that hardly matters now, does it?"

Kakashi shook his head and murmured, "Not really."

"So … what happened, the plan backfired when you told her?"

He didn't answer, but apparently his silence was the answer Asuma needed. The dark haired man shook his head pityingly and scrubbed a hand down his face. "Genma told you to keep silent on it, didn't he?"

"Actually, no," he corrected. "He suggested I tell her."

Asuma's brows rose in surprise at that. "Well, damn. Who knew Genma was so wise? Shizune must be doing a bang-up job retraining him then."

Kakashi offered a weak smile and said, "Guess so."

Once again, the conversation hit a lull as Kakashi stared up at the swaying leaves and Asuma peeled sections of dried bark from the tree. After a minute or so, the dark haired man looked up and quietly asked, "Do you love her."

Slowly, Kakashi looked shifted his gaze from the overhead view to meet the other's gaze steadily. "Yes," he admitted, so softly that Asuma had to lean forward to catch it. He sighed and broke eye contact to stare off at a cluster of pine trees across from them. "That's the problem though. There are so many reasons why I can't and shouldn't."

"Okay, I'll play along," Asuma said, plucking a leaf from midair as it was drifting downward. "Gimme the rundown."

That was easy to do. He'd been thinking about all the reasons for quite some time now. "Maturity level and age are at the top. Not to mention it'd be unfair to lock her down with someone like me."

"How do you mean?"

"You _know _what I mean, Asuma. Every ninja in this village knows that any day we might receive The Mission."

"The Mission" was how many of the older, more jaded ninja referred to the ones that people didn't return from – at least not alive.

Asuma snorted and gave a dismissive shake of his head. "So, what, you don't want to make it work with her because of a job hazard? Hate to break it to you, Kakashi, but that same risk works in reverse." He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Unless the reverse is what you're _actually _afraid of?"

Kakashi resisted the urge to fidget. Until Asuma had said it, he hadn't really considered that aspect, but now that he was it was yet another reason why this was a bad idea.

Unaware that the list had grown just a little longer, the dark haired man added, "Besides, don't you think that's _her _decision to make?"

"Sakura thinks too much with her heart," he argued. "She'll pick what she wants at the time, not what she needs."

"Okay, then what _does _she need if not someone who loves her and who wanders out into the middle of the forest to sit in a tree and worry that someday one of them won't come back?"

Kakashi closed his eye and wondered how Asuma would react if he just transported himself out of there. Chances were, he'd hunt him down again just to continue the conversation. He was persistent like that. "What she needs," he said, the words practically dragging themselves from his throat, "is someone reliable. Someone who doesn't lie to her."

He heard Asuma let out a heavy sigh and felt the branch bounce as he shifted positions. "Reliable, I'll give you. That's standard for almost every person in the world. But someone who doesn't lie… She lied as well, Kakashi. Lying isn't good, but it's human."

He nodded once, conceding the point.

"Look," Asuma continued patiently, "The fact of the matter is that Genma was right. You should have told her sooner. You can't start a relationship where both parties are lying and in it for anything but each other. But as long as there's real, honest feelings involved … maybe it can be _re_started."

It was a nice idea, and secretly he still clung to the hope that it could happen, but Asuma hadn't been there when she'd run off. He hadn't seen the hurt and betrayal in her eyes. He didn't know Sakura and how mulish she could be, especially when hurt. Kakashi took a deep breath and let it out, opening his eye again. "I don't see how that's possible. Things went pretty far south."

The dark haired man shrugged unperturbed and said, "Well, if it's worth fighting over, then it's worth fighting for, right?"

Kakashi's hands stilled in shredding a yellowed leaf. "That sounds like a lot of fighting."

Asuma chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, maybe. But think about all the _amazing _make-up sex you guys'll have. Besides, every shinobi has a touch of masochism in them. Why else are we in this profession?"

"Fair enough." He did like the idea of make-up sex, even more so if it involved Sakura. Still though… "I'm not so sure Sakura is willing though. She was pretty upset. Pakkun said she cried all night."

"Hey, it's your call. You know her better than I do, after all. But if you don't fight for it, you'll never know whether it _could _have worked."

Kakashi regarded him then, a little impressed to hear his friend talk like that. Asuma was a smart man, but he wasn't what one would term 'wise'. "I see Genma's not the only one getting schooled," he joked, smiling faintly.

"That's some damn good advice, you know," Asuma fired back, his dark eyes sparking with humor. "You should be grateful I'm sharing it with you."

He hesitated a moment before meeting the other's gaze and murmuring, "Thank you." And he meant it, too – sincerely so. He didn't have many close friends, but Asuma was certainly one of them.

Asuma smiled and pushed to his feet, clapping a friendly hand to Kakashi's shoulder. "No problem. FYI, Sakura is having lunch with Ino right now at that vegan place near Ichiraku."

"Okay."

"Oh, and one more thing: avoid Rock Lee at all costs. I heard something about him wanting to challenge you to restore the power and beauty of love or something like that."

Kakashi cringed and nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

Where Lee was, Gai was undoubtedly nearby. The last thing he wanted was to get tag teamed by a duo of spandex-clad taijutsu experts.

Asuma gave his back a good stretch, groaning as his joints popped. "You should come over for dinner on Sunday. Kurenai found a new chicken recipe she wants to try."

"What time?"

"Six. You can bring company, if you want. She won't mind." With a final grin, he leapt off the tree branch, thudding heavily as he hit the ground. A cloud of recently fallen leaves puffed upward around him from the impact, swirling in agitated spirals in the air.

Kakashi waited until he could just barely make out Asuma's silhouette before standing and walking back down the tree trunk again. He had a sudden craving for mung beans that needed satisfying.


	27. Stole My Heart

**A belated but much appreciated thanks to eldrfire and omizu for talking out some points in the previous chapter as well as this one. You ladies rock my Kasbah like a hurricane.**

* * *

"Hey, so how's the poison training going? You haven't talked about that in a while," Ino commented cheerfully as she poked at her seaweed salad.

Shrugging, Sakura scooped up a spoonful of soup and tipped it over again without taking a bite. "It's going okay. I haven't killed anyone yet, which I guess is a good thing," she replied without any real enthusiasm.

Ino, unaware of her friend's gloomy thoughts, grinned broadly and exclaimed, "That's good!" Then, she paused and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Or maybe it isn't since the point of poisons _is _to kill someone."

Sakura snorted and a brief smile managed to lift the corners of her lips a little. Even in the mood she was in, she couldn't deny the comment was humorously ironic.

Encouraged by the smile, Ino perched her elbows on the table and said, "You know, a new shipment of dresses came in at the store across from my parents' shop. After this, wanna go try on clothing we couldn't afford with a million years of A-ranked missions?"

On a normal day, the offer would have been a temptation she couldn't refuse. Today though … not so much.

It'd been two days since she and Kakashi had … since _that _night and she hadn't seen a trace of him anywhere since. She'd looked, though she did so as covertly as possible. Every rooftop, comfy looking tree, and _Icha Icha _poster she passed got a quick but thorough once over to see if there was a familiar disarray of hair or a slouched back. Nothing. Not even one of the ninken wandering about. It was safe to say that Kakashi was nowhere within the village limits and that the reason was more than likely because he was avoiding her.

Of course, she didn't really know _what _she would do if their paths actually did cross. At the very least she wanted to apologize and maybe see about repairing their working relationship. At best she wanted to see if they could maybe be friends.

She didn't dare hope that they could ever have anything more than that though. After the way she'd treated him she'd be lucky if he spared her so much as a glance.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm gonna pass."

Ino's eyes narrowed speculatively for a moment before she sighed and leaned back from the table. "I don't get it, Forehead," she remarked, setting her chopsticks aside. "Why are you here?"

Arching a brow, Sakura replied slowly, "Because you invited me?"

The blonde stuck her tongue out at that. "What I meant is why are you here and _not _out looking for Kakashi?"

Heat flushed across her cheeks as she looked away, staring down at the chunks of tofu floating in her soup. "W-Why would I do that?" she stammered. There was a tremble in her voice that matched the one in her hands. "Kakashi and I … we…."

"You had a fight," the blonde supplied. "Guess what, Sakura? _Everyone _has fights."

"But the way I treated him—"

Ino waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. You know what I think the problem is? I think you're scared to talk to him."

Sakura bristled at that, her lips pursing into a thin, angry line. "I am _not _scared of him," she hissed as her hand tightened around her spoon handle.

The blonde smirked as she took a careful bite of seaweed. "Oh, yes you are! You're afraid that he'll reject you. Admit it."

"I'm not gonna admit to anything, Pig! And why should I be afraid of him rejecting me when there's nothing _to _reject?"

"Exactly!" Ino exclaimed gleefully. "You don't have anything left to lose, so why not do it?"

"Because…." Because, despite her claim to the contrary, she really _was_ terrified of approaching him. She'd treated him awfully… It made her sick imagining all the many painful, but well-deserved and most likely, ways he would respond if she were to ask for a second chance. She would rather not know if things could have been different than have the certainty of his refusal.

She broke from her thoughts when Ino shook her head, a grim expression on her face. "I swear, all my friends are completely messed up," she muttered. "Tenten lands _the _most sought after guy in the village and decides they're better off as friends, Hinata can barely look at the man she loves without combusting, and you are too chicken-shit scared to talk to the man who quite possibly might love you. I don't understand why guys just – hey, where are you going?"

Sakura tossed some money on the table and called gruffly over her shoulder, "I have things to do." She ignored Ino's protests as she pushed her way out the door, hugging her arms across her chest as a sharp wind kicked up.

It felt an awful lot like she was running away and maybe she was, but part of her hasty escape was because she didn't want her friend to see her cry for the millionth time. As much as she hated to admit it, Ino was right. She was downright terrified of facing Kakashi. She felt bad for ditching her friend so abruptly, but she couldn't stay there any longer. It was too close to confronting her fear head on.

Sakura hurried down the street with her head down and tears stinging her eyes. She needed to think and she couldn't do that when she was an emotional wreck. She had to unwind a bit and there was only one place where she could do that: Training Ground Three

* * *

Ino watched her friend leave the restaurant with a mixture of shock and irritation. What the hell was that all about? Sure, she'd been a little harsh, but that was no reason to go storming out of there! She knew Sakura well enough to know that if she _didn't_ goad her a bit then nothing would change. Sakura would continue to sit around moping over a broken heart rather than getting off her ass and doing something about it. And as her best friend and roommate, she simply couldn't allow it.

Well … that and the fact she was sick of finding wads of tissue all over the apartment. It was just plain disgusting.

She picked up the money Sakura had left and tucked it into her hip pouch before replacing it with her own funds. She'd slip it back into Forehead's purse later. Lunch had been her idea, after all, and she didn't think it was right that her friend pay when she hadn't wanted to go from the start. Returning her wallet to the pouch, Ino exited the restaurant….

And very nearly collided with Hatake Kakashi as he was coming in.

Both of them froze, Ino gaping up at him in surprise. Then, her memory helpfully supplied the image of what he looked like beneath that mask and her cheeks became considerably warmer. Secretly and in spite of the fact that Kiba was one _helluva_ good kisser, she was more than a little jealous Sakura had landed someone so incredibly hot. It was just further proof that there was no justice in the world.

There was no doubt in her mind why he was there, and it wasn't because the tofu tempura was to die for. "Sakura left about five minutes ago," she answered before he could even ask. Ino pointed down the street in the direction her friend had gone. "Training Ground Three, I think." That was where Sakura always went to clear her head.

To her surprise (and delight), Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a grateful squeeze. "Thank you," he murmured, oblivious to the redness that was definitely spreading down her neck now.

Ino stood in the doorway and stared after him before a smile slipped across her lips. Shaking her head, she headed off to see if maybe Kiba wanted to come over and watch a movie. She had a feeling Sakura would probably be out late – if she even came home at all.

* * *

There he was – his rival in love. Hatake Kakashi. After spending nearly two days searching for the man, he had finally shown himself. Now was the time to challenge him, as one man to another. It would be a battle for love, to prove himself to the blossom of his heart. He would show Sakura that he was a man she could be proud of, a man worthy of her youthful beauty.

With a determined crease to his brow and fists by his sides, Rock Lee stepped forward to confront his love rival.

"Don't, Lee."

His eyes widened in shock as he spun toward that all too familiar voice. "Gai-sensei?"

His beloved mentor stepped out from the shadows of a dumpster with an uncharacteristically solemn expression to his face. Lee's breath caught as the older man placed a warm hand to his shoulder. As always, he was overwhelmed that someone as great as Maito Gai would ever favor him. But there was something different in the way that his mentor regarded him today. He seemed … sad, almost. What cause would Gai-sensei have to be sad?

"Listen to me, Lee," the older man said, speaking softly and with a sheen to his dark eyes. "I need you to do something, something that will pit your honor as a man against the passion of your youthful heart."

A challenge! Gai-sensei was testing him and he would _not _fail! Lee nodded once, decisively, and said, "What would you have me do, Gai-sensei?"

"Let Sakura go."

Lee stopped – breathing, thinking … everything. Gai-sensei was asking him to give up? But why? Was it because he felt Kakashi was the stronger man? His heart sank as he realized that must be the answer. Gai-sensei didn't think he was strong enough yet, and if Gai-sensei didn't have faith in him then … then….

He closed his eyes so that his mentor didn't have to witness how hurt he was and said softly, "I understand, sensei. Your eternal rival is strong. He possesses a fire that I have yet to—"

"Kakashi is indeed a strong shinobi," Gai interrupted. "But what I am asking is that you be even stronger."

He looked up at that, meeting his mentor's gaze in confusion. That confusion only grew when Gai-sensei smiled at him. It was the one he lived to receive – the one that said he was proud of his student.

"It's an easy thing to love, Lee," the older man continued. "But to happily let that special person find love with another? That is the true test of a man."

And just like that, he understood. The mark of a man – a _real _man – was that he wanted those he cared about to be happy, no matter the circumstances. That was the true beauty of love; it was selfless.

A small smile played across his lips as tears touched his eyes. He let them fall freely, unashamed, and nodded. "That is what I want most, Gai-sensei. For Sakura to be happy." Even if it meant keeping his deep and youthful feelings for her to himself.

His mentor squeezed his shoulders warmly. "You are a remarkable man, Rock Lee."

* * *

Training Ground Three. This was where they'd had their date with paintballs. The gate was unlocked and the red side of the sign was flipped up to show it was occupied. Somewhere further in the sound of an explosion reached his ears and shortly after a cloud of dust billowed upward from the tall grass.

The gate creaked loudly as Kakashi pushed it open, pausing just long enough to shut it securely before following the earth tremors to their source.

He found her on her knees in the middle of a crater that was easily ten feet in diameter; clearly, she was still holding back. Her hands were fisted on her thighs, she was covered in dirt and grass stains, and she was panting heavily – or was she crying? It was hard to tell with the way her head was bowed.

Kakashi didn't know what to expect or what he even planned to do. She wasn't angry with him, he knew that. If she was, then Ino wouldn't have been so willing to help. At the same time though he wasn't expecting a warm reception – not if she was out here, alone, smashing things with her fists. He didn't know what to say or do, having never been in a position like this before. It wasn't at all like a typical fight where moves and strategies could be predicted and the outcome was absolute. Here, he was on completely foreign ground, with a goal but no plan on how to get there and an infinite number of ways it could end.

But none of that would matter if she didn't know he was there.

The idea of maybe just turning about and leaving her in peace crossed his mind for exactly half a second before he purposely scraped a foot across the lip of the crater.

She whipped around with a fist cocked and ready to rip the earth from under his feet if necessary. But when she saw it was him, her arm dropped limply to her side and her eyes widened in surprise. "Kakashi…."

The sound of his name leaving her lips in barely more than a whisper made his chest ache. "Sakura," he replied, his voice almost as soft as hers.

Her brow furrowed as she pushed to her feet, swiping her gloved palms across her skirt. Dirty lines the exact size of her fingers were left behind. "What are you doing here?"

He cleared his throat and tucked his hands into his pockets. "I wanted to see you."

For a brief moment, something like hope flashed across her features before she quickly covered it with a hard expression. She looked away, her fingers twisting in the hem of her skirt. Her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip and when she spoke next there was an undisguised tremor to her words. "Y-You did? But why? I thought…."

Kakashi glanced at her questioningly when she didn't finish, his heart skipping a beat. "You thought what?" he encouraged.

Her eyes closed as she shook her head. "Nothing. Never mind."

She started to climb out of the hole and froze when he held out his hand. Her eyes darted to his face and, as if prompted by that look, he reached up with his free hand to pull the mask down. He squatted down, hand still extended, and waited.

Hesitantly, Sakura placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her out.

Once on level ground, she was quick to pull her hand free and put a little distance between them. A sharp pang shot through him, but he carefully kept it from showing. "Thanks," she said, ducking her head to hide the color staining her cheeks.

He shifted from one foot to the other as the awkwardness weighed heavily upon them. "You're welcome."

The silence stretched uncomfortably as she waited and he tried to find his words. Sakura was the one to break first as she let out a harsh sigh and shook her head. "This is ridiculous," she said. There was a sharpness underlying the words that made the sweat run cold down his spine.

"What is?" he asked hoarsely, half afraid of her response.

Sakura gestured between the two of them. "This. We can't keep on like this."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Agreed."

She paused then, chewing on her lower lip as she stared down at her feet. Her hands were clasped before her, her fingers twisting together in a display of unease. "I'm sorry," she said.

He didn't need to see her eyes to know she was crying; he could hear it in her voice. Kakashi took a step toward her, his hand lifting of its own accord. "Sakura…."

Sakura shook her head "No, don't. I-I don't want you to say it was your fault or tell me it's okay or whatever. Because I know it's not. Your fault or okay, I mean. And … I'm sorry."

Kakashi swallowed hard and tried once more to locate where his words had wandered off to. She turned away, waiting until her back was to him before swiping a gloved hand across her eyes, and headed back toward the training ground gate. If he didn't do something, she was going to leave and there would never be another chance. He had to stop her.

An idea came to him then, one that would hopefully demonstrate more fully than words what he wanted to say. Kakashi, without any hesitation whatsoever, called after her, "Sakura, fight me."

* * *

Sakura came to a halt. She turned toward, just enough to look at him over her shoulder. His face was carefully neutral, but there was something in the way he was looking at her that said there was more to the request than what was on the surface. Something underneath the underneath. "What?"

He took a couple steps back, putting a more combat friendly distance between them, and reached up to lift the hitae-ate. The sharingan immediately focused on her, taking in even the slightest movement she made. "Fight me," he repeated, this time with an authority that was all too familiar to her.

Still unsure as to what he was really asking, she gave a slow nod and faced him once again. "Okay. Sure."

And then his fist was swinging toward her and there was no time to think of anything beyond dodging.

Kakashi bent backward to avoid the arching kick she'd intended for his chest, planting one hand to the ground so as to swipe his leg across her ankles. Sakura hit the ground with a yelp, but she was on her feet again in an instant and aiming an uppercut punch for his jaw the next. He blocked the blow, as well as the next several she fired at him. But he wasn't pushing any offensive maneuvers, which was strange.

It didn't take long for her to realize this sparring session was much different than the one they'd had a few days prior. For one thing, he wasn't using any ninjutsu or genjutsu. It was all just sheer physical attacks – her forte. That didn't mean he was holding back in anyway; he had too much respect for her to ever do that. He was playing in favor to her strengths intentionally. There _had _to be a reason for that.

Sakura managed to hold her ground for a while, far longer than she would have been able to if he'd been utilizing all his abilities, but eventually he began driving her back from the hole she'd made. As with the last time, he blocked every attack she threw his way, though in her defense she wasn't unleashing the full brunt of her chakra skills on him. Oh, she was still using it and he definitely felt the difference if the pained grimaces were anything to go by, but she wasn't coming at him with full killing force.

At one point, she made a miscalculation. She threw one more punch than she should have and soon after found herself being hauled off her feet and slung over his shoulder. Sakura hit the ground hard, a gasp ripping from her lips as pain shot through her back and chest. White spots dotted her vision briefly, disappearing as she gave a couple hard blinks. The afternoon light disappeared and it took her a second to figure out that the shadow looming over her was him.

"Why?" she panted. She closed her eyes again and focused on calming her body down. Her heart was pounding heavily, her chest heaved with every gulp of breath, and her skin was sticky with sweat and dirt. It was only a mild comfort that he was in a similar condition.

She felt Kakashi sit down next to her and opened her eyes a crack to study his bare face. Not that it really told her much; it was just as impassive as his mask. But he was still giving her that oddly intense look, like there was something more to this that she simply wasn't seeing.

He didn't answer her, simply pushed to his feet again and brought his hands together. Sakura's brow furrowed as she watched him go through seals, moving much slower than she knew he was capable of. This wasn't an attack; he _wanted _her to see what he was doing, and that was the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

As soon as the last seal was done and the chakra released, a perfect clone of Kakashi appeared. Unlike its maker, the clone still wore its mask and hitae-ate in place, but that was the only difference between the two. It even gave the same little half wave as it said, "Yo!"

Sakura stood up, dusting off the back of her skirt as she approached the duo. "Kakashi, what's going on? What's this about?" she asked, more confused now than when he'd requested she fight him.

Rather than answer her directly, Kakashi looked back over his shoulder. The barest of smiles curved his lips, but it was enough to make her breath catch.

"Now fight _with_ me," he said. There was a challenging glint to his eyes that was almost as irresistible as his smile.

Sakura's gaze flickered from the clone to him and back again as she mulled over the possible implications of it all. Actions always spoke louder than words for him, so the key to this was in the actions he'd taken so far. First he asked her to fight him, but then he played directly into her strengths. And now, after they'd fought, he was asking her to fight alongside him. It didn't make any sense...

She frowned and pushed her hair out of her face. "Kakashi, what is this? Another test?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then what _is_ it?"

Kakashi gave her an unreadable look and said, "Just go with it, Sakura. Fight with me."

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she nodded and murmured, "Fine."

She walked over to him, her eyes on the clone as it assumed a casual defensive stance. Kakashi moved away from her slowly, all his focus on the clone as well.

"Be gentle," the clone pleaded as they rushed toward it in unison.

It was different than the bell exercise when she and Naruto had worked together against him. Whether it was due to his constant lessons on teamwork or something more intuitive, she and Kakashi worked fluidly together in driving the clone back. She was at his back when he needed her, just as he was for her. Where one left off the other took over, operating without any direction except instinct and the knowledge that, should they need it, their partner would be there. She dove over him as he ducked down, moved back when he let loose a raikiri. He diverted attention while she ripped the ground open with one savage punch, went flat to the grass as a boulder was sent whipping through the air.

The clone fought back with everything it had, tossing jutsu after jutsu at them as it strove to hold them back. But she and Kakashi were working as one unit. Independently, they were strong, but together….

Together they were unstoppable. They filled in the gaps in each other's techniques while working to make their strengths more effective. Sakura couldn't remember ever having fought like she was with Kakashi, not on any of the missions she'd completed or in any of the practice sessions she'd gone through. Neither of them held back, throwing everything they had into every attack and counter that came their way.

It ended far sooner than their fight had. Kakashi came rushing up from behind to slam an elbow into the clone's back just as Sakura let out a fierce growl and planted her fist into its stomach. The clone let out a pained grunt and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving her panting hard and him lurching forward in pain.

"Ouch," he hissed as he pressed one hand to his stomach and kept himself upright with the other. He cast a reproving glare up at her. "I told you to be gentle."

"Sorry," she gasped, crouching down next to him. She'd forgotten that Kage Bunshins had direct transference of emotional and physical strain to the creator. She sank onto the ground beside him, wincing as her own aches began to show themselves. It was a good thing she didn't have training with Tsunade for the next couple days. She was going to be feeling this workout for a long time.

Sakura worked a little chakra into her twitching leg muscles and watched him from the corner of her eye as he carefully maneuvered himself into a more comfortable sitting position. His mask was still around his neck and tiny beads of sweat slipped down the curve of his cheek, but he was already starting to breathe evenly. It was maddening, especially when she was still sucking the air in like a gap-mouthed fish. She made a mental note to increase her cardio exercises.

Eventually she reached a point where she didn't sound like a panting dog and could finally demand, "So are you gonna explain what all that was about or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?"

Kakashi arched a brow as if considering the two options, causing her to roll her eyes. Give a masochist like him a choice between the easy way and the painful way, naturally he'd pick the latter. A smile quirked his lips, one corner lifting just a little higher than the other. "What do _you _think?" he asked.

She scowled at him and, with more than a little vindictiveness, gave his stomach a good, hard poke. He grunted and quickly covered the abused area with one hand as a look of discomfort flashed across his features.

"No games, Kakashi," she said sternly. "Just speak plainly." _For once._

Letting out a weary sigh, he ran a hand back through his damp hair and stared at a point on the ground between them. "Did you notice the difference?"

Sakura frowned and debated a moment between smacking him for avoiding directness yet again and simply playing along. Deciding it was better to just do things his way (she _had _said she'd do that anyway, and besides she sort of owed him for everything she'd done) she asked, "You mean between when we fought against each other and then with?"

He nodded, lifting his gaze to her face again. His expression almost passed for neutral, but that intense edge had returned and she couldn't help feeling that the answer should have been painfully obvious to her.

She released a shaky breath and thought back over everything once again, from when he'd asked her to fight him after she'd apologized to when they'd finished beating the crap out of his clone. There had to be something she was missing, but what? What was so important about her fighting him and then her fighting with…?

Oh.

_"Oh_!" she gasped, her back snapping straighter. Her eyes widened as she turned toward him, her lips parting in surprise. Kakashi was looking at her fully now and the warmth in his open eye made her insides flutter in anticipation. "You… You…."

She jumped when Kakashi reach between them to cover her hand with his. "I don't want to fight you, Sakura," he said quietly. "I want to fight _with _you."

For the longest time all she could do was stare at where their hands were joined. Against all odds and despite everything she'd put him through … he still wanted her. More than that even. Kakashi _loved _her. He didn't say, but she knew it was true. He loved her and he'd come there to tell her that the only way he knew how.

Kakashi fell backward with a startled cry as she suddenly threw herself on him. Her arms circled his neck, her torso was stretched at an awkward angle across his chest, and she was kissing more of his cheek and vest than his lips, but none of that mattered. The only thing that processed through her head was that he loved her and he wanted to try again. For real this time.

It was with some effort that he managed to disentangle himself from her grip, twisting her around so that she was now lying on her back with him looming over her. Sakura grinned up at him, the expression shifting into one of pleasure as he traced his fingers down her cheek gently. She leaned up to meet him as he angled his mouth against hers for a more proper kiss, one that was hard and full of joy and more than a little passion.

"Most guys would have just said 'I love you'," she teased, tilting her head as his mouth began to move lower.

He drew back just enough to smirk at her, his thumb caressing across her lower lip. "True, but—"

"You're not like most guys, I know," she finished, giggling as he favored her with a full out smile. She traced her fingers across his lips lightly before letting them slip around his neck to draw him down to her again. "But I'm glad you're not."

"Good," he murmured. "Because I have no intention of changing."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Will you just kiss me already?"

"Of course."

And then there was nothing but his mouth and tongue and hands, and _god_ he was wearing too much clothing! Sakura tugged at his flak vest, growling irritably as the zipper refused to budge. It probably didn't help that his chest was pressed close to hers, but try telling that to her hormone-doused brain. Rather than try to reason out the mystery behind the stubborn zipper, she simply took hold of either half of his vest, channeled a little chakra, and tore the damn thing open.

Kakashi did draw back then, leaning away so as to look down at his vest in dismay. "You ripped it," he complained.

Sakura arched a brown and rubbed her thigh across his hip invitingly. "Consider that payback for my underwear," she replied as she hauled him down for yet another kiss.

He groaned in pleasure as she began nipping playfully along his jaw, working her way down to his throat. One of his hands was on her thigh, lifting it higher across his hip. Her gasp was smothered beneath his lips as their bodies came into full contact. She gave a roll of her hips and he groaned again as he responded. Her hand began to move downward across his chest, slipping lower so as to—

He grabbed hold of her wrist tightly just as she reached his fly and shook his head, pulling away from her with a gasp. "Wait," he rasped out.

"You're right," she agreed breathily. "Someone might see us—"

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it the right way. And that means we can't have sex until _after_ we've started going out."

Sakura went still beneath him, giving him an incredulous look. "You're joking," she deadpanned.

Kakashi frowned. "I'm serious. What, do you think I'll just put out with no date?"

"But we've _had _dates. Loads of them."

"Yes, but we weren't legitimately _dating_ then, now were we? I'm not a slut, Sakura—"

"I never said—"

"— and I'm deeply hurt you'd think that way of me."

She spluttered wordlessly, torn between outrage and shock that he was doing this to her _now_. A crafty look crossed her face before her hips surged up toward his.

Except he'd been anticipating the move and quickly pushed to his feet, leaving her splayed across the grass feeling very aroused and _very _dissatisfied. He had to be joking. Any minute now she was expecting him to point at her and shout, "_gotcha!"_

But instead he was pulling his mask back up and discreetly adjusting his clothing to try and disguise the erection he was sporting. Sakura huffed irritably and stood up as well, brushing her skirt clean with crisp movements. "You better pick a date and soon," she grumbled threateningly. "Because you _might_ find me outside your window in the near future."

Kakashi paused in trying to piece his ruined vest back together. "Actually, that might be—"

"To beat the crap out of you," she added, guessing accurately which direction his thoughts were going.

"Oh."

"This whole no sex thing works both ways, you know."

"Oh." There was a distinct glumness in the way he said it that time.

Sakura arched a brow at him and smirked. "You didn't think of that when you were being a dork, did you?"

She couldn't see it, but she knew he was frowning at her. Right then, she wasn't feeling particularly merciful. Her body was still throbbing with a need that would go unfulfilled – for now, at least. She crossed her arms over her chest, one hip cocking at a jaunty angle as she prompted, "Well? When's our first date?"

"Two days from now," he answered quickly. "Six-thirty I'll swing by to get you."

"Two days?" She'd been hoping maybe that evening.

Kakashi rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and she could just see the blush peeking out over his mask. "Yeah. I, uh … need to take care of a few things. One of those being to get a new mattress. Apparently, mine has a habit of attacking people."

Despite the fact that this was a _very_ good thing to hear, she couldn't help the redness that came to her cheeks as she thought of why he'd want a new one. Maybe it was a good thing though that there were a couple days between now and their first real date. It'd give them both time to think about everything, not to mention a chance to speak with Naruto in person.

Oh, and she'd have plenty of time to find a new yukata. It wasn't normally something she liked to wear on dates, but given the near nosebleed he'd had the last time she wore one it'd be worth the odd looks.

Sakura nodded then and held out her hand. He took it and they shook. "It's a deal. Two days, six-thirty, and if you're late I'll never forgive you."

"I'll be there," he promised. The way he was looking at her said that it carried over to more than just showing up on time.

She smiled up at him and rose on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek. "See you later, Kakashi-sensei," she called over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Bye, Cherry-chan," he replied.

Sakura spun around to let him have it for using that horrible nickname … but in true Hatake Kakashi fashion, he'd already vanished in a cloud of smoke. She shook her head, her teeth grinding together as she stomped out of the training ground. Maybe it wouldn't take her two days to think it over after all.

* * *

Genma hummed a cheery tune absently as he pulled the apartment key from his pocket and fit it to the lock. Yet another training session completed with the brats, and he was pleased to see they were finally starting to fear him. All it'd taken was a healthy dose of sadism combined with several lies (most of which were white, but one or two were definitely of the darker variety) to earn their respect, if not their admiration.

He could deal with that. It didn't much matter to him whether the punks admired him, just so long as they did what he said.

He slid the door opened, shucked his shoes and vest off by the door, and padded barefoot into the kitchen to select a celebratory wine. Shizune had pulled out chicken from the freezer, so maybe he'd whip up that sage glaze she liked to go along with it. Combined with a nicely chilled white and it'd be—

"Yo."

Genma froze. A cold sensation shivered down his spine at that one word. Very slowly, he turned toward the source and found Hatake Kakashi sitting in one of the living room chairs. The man was completely at ease, one ankle perched across the knee of the opposite leg and his fingers steepled together. It made an icy sweat break across his skin.

Deciding it was best to play innocent, Genma gave a nervous laugh and said, "Shit, you scared me. What're you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be off moping or something?" He took a couple steps closer and in the general direction of the door.

Kakashi shrugged. "This seemed as good a place as any to mope."

"Yeah, well it's not. Breaking and entering is a crime."

"So is theft, the last I looked."

Genma feigned confusion, but inside he was having at least twenty heart attacks and could feel a homicidal urge coming on. Had Asuma gone and said something about the book? No, he wouldn't do that. Or would he? After all, he still owed the man forty from the last poker game… He forced a leering smirk. "Oh, really? So, does this mean you're gonna have your girlfriend arrested?"

"Sakura isn't who I was referring to," Kakashi replied, and the senbon user noted that not only had he refrained from correcting the status of their relationship but he'd also immediately associated Sakura with the word 'girlfriend'.

Something had happened between them since the night they'd fought. Yes, he and Shizune had heard it all – and by all, he meant _all_. She'd been so uncomfortable hearing that damn headboard and her subordinate crying out in ecstasy that she'd actually gone and slept at the hospital. Genma had _not_ been a happy camper that night.

But more importantly than this new development in their highly unusual relationship, more even than the cramping it'd put in his own love life … Kakashi had hinted strongly at another theft.

Which meant he knew about Genma taking the book.

Which meant either Asuma suffered from a big-mouthed conscience or that he figured it out somehow.

Which meant that….

"Oh, _fuck!_"

Genma dove for the door at the same time Kakashi sprang from the chair. The Copy Ninja was fast, but he was fast _and _closer to the goal. He jerked the door open, took one step over the threshold … and reeled back when he damn near ran into a pack of snarling, angry ninken. The door slammed shut again and Genma remained facing it. He could feel Kakashi at his back and knew that short of blowing up the whole apartment (which Shizune would _really_ not like) there was no way out.

"Fuck," he groaned, banging his forehead against the door. He was so screwed it wasn't even funny.

He stiffened when Kakashi placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. The other man's breath was warm on his ear as he murmured, "Just take it like a man, Genma."

Genma would deny it later, but he did whimper at those words.

* * *

"So … lemme get this straight," Naruto reasoned slowly, taking a break from stuffing his face with ramen to think. Three empty bowls were already stacked next to him, he was half way through the fourth, and Teuchi-san was in the middle of fixing a fifth one. "Four days ago, you an' Kakashi-sensei were seein' each other."

Sakura nodded and sipped her broth serenely. "Yup."

"An' three days ago, you guys weren't seein' each other."

"Mm-hm."

"But today you guys _are_ seein' each other."

"That's right."

Naruto threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "How am I supposed to keep track of all this when you guys change status every other day?"

Seriously, this whole thing with Sakura and Kakashi-sensei was so freakin' _confusing!_ That pervy sage didn't know _what_ the hell he was talking about. Relationships were complicated – especially when you were the friend of the people in the relationship!

Sakura sighed impatiently and set her bowl down. "Look, Naruto, it's really very easy," she explained, adopting that voice she'd used when she had to lay it all out for him back in the Academy. "Kakashi-sensei and I had a fight."

"Uh-huh."

"We broke up."

"I'm with you there."

"Then we fought."

His eyes narrowed in concentration. This was where she lost him.

"And now we're back together again," she concluded, smiling as if all of this was perfectly normal – which it _wasn't_, not by a long toss of a kunai.

"That makes even _less _sense than before!" he shouted, scratching his head as he tried to reason it out. "If the reason you broke up is because you guys had a fight, how does fighting get you _back_ together?"

"Will you just _listen_ to me?" she snapped. "I've already told you like six times!"

"Yeah, and now I'm six times more confused by it." He shook his head, pausing to slurp up the remainder of his noodles. "Geez, I've heard of couples dressin' alike, but I didn't know they could act alike, too."

Sakura's bowl slammed onto the countertop as she whipped around toward him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "_What_ did you just say?"

"You're bein' all mysterious and not explainin' things, just like Kakashi-sensei," he accused, jabbing his chopsticks in her direction.

"I am not!" she shouted back at him. Her chopsticks snapped between her fingers. Naruto gulped, belatedly remembering what kind of damage she was capable of. "I'm nowhere _near_ as annoying as that!"

"Annoying as what?" a voice said from behind them. The owner of that voice slid into the stool next to Sakura, his one exposed eye creasing cheerfully. "Naruto, what a pleasant surprise."

Naruto frowned at Kakashi and said, "I'm _always_ at Ichiraku Ramen, sensei." He must have missed something because Sakura giggled into her ramen.

Kakashi leaned across the counter to grab a menu and flicked it open, even though they all knew he'd just get the same thing he always had: salty ramen with extra pork. "So, what aren't you as annoying as, Sakura-chan?" he asked casually.

Sakura flashed him a beaming smile that reminded Naruto of the one she used when she was sucking up. "Oh, nothing," she replied quickly. "Naruto was just being himself. You know how that goes."

Their team leader hummed in response.

Naruto scowled and nudged her side. "Hey, hey! What's _that_ supposed to mean?" he demanded. The way she said it made him think that maybe him being himself wasn't such a good thing.

She shot him a warning glare and said through clenched teeth, "_Drop_ it, Naruto."

He gulped and quickly returned to finishing off the last bit of his ramen. If she wanted it dropped, he was gonna do it. No way in hell he wanted to be punched through the wall of his favorite restaurant. He'd get banned for life, and then what would he do? Starve to death, that's what!

Fortunately, Kakashi rescued him by distracting Sakura. "What did you get?" he asked, nodding toward her half empty bowl.

Momentarily flustered, she pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear and said, "Oh, um … miso ramen. It's really good, sensei. You should try it."

"Are you offering to feed it to me?" he replied, causing her to blush and quickly turn away.

Naruto choked on his broth so badly that Sakura had to give his back a couple good whacks before he could breathe properly again. Was Kakashi-sensei … _flirting_ with her? He shuddered at the idea and was about to shove it from his mind when something even worse popped up in its place. Something so terrifying and horrible that it made the blood drain from his face.

Very slowly, just like the main character in a horror film did when the monster was _right behind _them, Naruto turned to regard his teammates with rounded, frightened eyes. "H-Hey," he asked hoarsely, "you guys aren't gonna…." He paused, gulping heavily. "You know. Hold hands and stuff. Are you?"

Sakura regarded him with a look that said she was probably thinking about all the ways she could smash his face in.

Kakashi, however, blinked once as if confused by the question and then gave a thoughtful hum. "I hadn't really considered it until now," he mused out loud, scratching his chin as he cast a contemplative look at the ceiling. "Seeing as we'll be busy training more than usual, this _might _be the only opportunity we have to do a little handholding. And maybe some _other things._"

The way he said those last two words in that weird, deep tone made Naruto grip the countertop fearfully. "Other things?" he repeated in a whimper. He wasn't serious about that … was he?

"Kakashi-_sensei_," Sakura hissed disapprovingly.

In answer, the older man very calmly slid his arm around her shoulders. Naruto leapt into the next stool over with a startled yelp. "Yes, shmookums?" he returned, his eyes creasing happily.

With that, Naruto was out of his chair and racing for the entrance, his fresh bowl of ramen untouched and completely forgotten. Handholding and maybe some kissing, he could tolerate. But stupid pet names? _Hell, no!_ He drew the line at having to listen to that crap!

* * *

As soon as the blond disappeared, Kakashi chuckled and removed his arm from her shoulders as Sakura jabbed his side with her elbow.

"Was that really necessary?" she demanded irritably, giving her noodles a harsh stir with her chopsticks. "He already has to deal with us dating, and now you're trying to scar him for life?"

Much to her dismay, Kakashi continued to be amused by the situation. His exposed eye gleamed with laughter as he gave an indifferent shrug. "He'll survive. Can you pass his bowl down, please?"

Sakura huffed but reached for the bowl all the same. She paused just as she was about to hand it over to him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? Just so you could steal his food."

His mask was still in place, but there was no doubt in her mind that there was a mischievous smirk lying beneath it. "It'd be a shame to waste such excellent food," he replied. "Plus it's not stealing if someone pays for it."

"But we haven't gotten the bill yet and – oh, no. No, absolutely not! I am _not_ buying your lunch!"

Kakashi pulled his mask down and she sucked in a sharp breath when the full force of his pout was directed at her. He was a dog person and therefore knew how to pull off the puppy dog look thanks to his canine companions. "But, Sakura-chan, my wallet was stolen, remember? The fiend took all my money, leaving me penniless and on the brink of starvation. Why, if it weren't for the generosity of—"

"Alright, fine. I'll pay your share of it," she grumbled. If it was a choice between listening to him carry on or paying to get him to shut up, she'd happily hand over her money. Besides … he was irresistably adorable when he pouted.

Pleased to have gotten his way, he pulled out a fresh set of chopsticks and said, "Have I told you that you're my favorite girlfriend?"

She snorted as she took a sip of broth. "I better be your _only_ … hey." Her head lifted quickly, her eyes wide in shock as she regarded him.

Kakashi was watching her from the corner of his eye as he sucked down some noodles. Even while chewing, she could make out the edge of a smile to his lips.

He'd said girlfriend. As in, he labeled _her_ as a girlfriend. To him. Sakura didn't know whether she was going to faint from shock or tackle him right there in the middle of Ichiraku Ramen. Fortunately, she recovered enough of her senses not to do either. Instead, she very calmly continued on with her lunch as if he hadn't just made a very personal declaration. He wasn't the only one who could do blasé.

She saw his smile widen into a full out, lopsided grin and had to once again fight down the urge to grab him by the collar for some light to medium molestation. Sakura tried to hold back an answering smile, but failed when the word 'girlfriend' continued circling in her head. It sounded good, especially when he said it.

"You know," she began conversationally. "The lesson was actually a success."

Kakashi looked at her, his eyebrows raised inquiringly. "Hmm?"

"The lesson about seduction missions. It worked. They really _can_ come back to bite you on the ass."

She half expected him to come back with something pervy to that (and she had no idea how close he was from doing just that) but all he did was nod and say, "Like a double edged sword."

Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head. Trust him to dig up the most clichéd line in the book and use it. But, she had to admit, it was an appropriate analogy. Neither of them had expected to fall for each other, and now here they were eating ramen and referring to each other with relationship labels.

And all because she'd set out to seduce him and he decided to seduce her back.


End file.
